Sports Rumors
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Sunday, Jul 6, 2008 12:03 pm EDT
Wood could be going back to All-Star Game as a closer
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Barely a year ago, Kerry Wood didn't know if he would pitch again. By this afternoon, many believe his odyssey back to the elite level of the game will include the rare achievement of becoming an All-Star closer after having been an All-Star starter.
Wood, who made it as a starter in 2003, could be on the verge of his first full healthy season since then and, not coincidentally, has numbers that show it. His 22nd save of the season Friday night put him within one of the National League lead, and he has been the most dominant of the three closers with more than 20 saves — even after his clunker Saturday at Busch Stadium.
The selection process was complete before Wood's blown save against the Cardinals that tagged him with his second loss, with All-Star announcements coming today.
''I haven't really thought about [becoming an All-Star] a whole lot,'' said Wood, who could join rare company that includes Rich Gossage, Dennis Eckersley and John Smoltz as All-Star starters and closers.
Source: Sun-Times
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Sunday, Jul 6, 2008 11:57 am EDT
White Sox should get Jenks, Konerko back soon
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The Chicago White Sox have said Bobby Jenks' sore left shoulder was not a major concern, but there was more peace of mind Saturday after he underwent an MRI exam and CT scan, and both came back negative. Trainer Herm Schneider said after the tests that Jenks, who hasn't pitched since last Sunday, should be ready Tuesday when the Sox begin a three-game series in Kansas City.
Jenks has been experiencing tightness in his left [non-throwing] shoulder but told manager Ozzie Guillen he continued to feel better Saturday.
The team also is anticipating the return Tuesday of Paul Konerko from his current minor-league rehab assignment. On Saturday, Konerko started a second consecutive game for Class AAA Charlotte.
Source: Sun-Times
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Sunday, Jul 6, 2008 11:50 am EDT
Tulowitzki cuts hand on shattered bat, goes on DL
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Only three weeks after returning from a torn thigh tendon that cost him 46 games, Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki sliced his right palm when he pounded his maple bat into the ground in frustration and it shattered. The accident occurred Friday night after he was replaced by Omar Quintanilla in the seventh inning.
"Yeah, it's tougher to take," Tulowitzki said Saturday of his return to the 15-day disabled list. "The other injury was baseball-related. You're out there on the field, going all out. And this one's kind of a stupid injury that I could have prevented."
Maple bats are the subject of a major league investigation because of their tendency to shatter when they break, unlike the softer ash bats, which usually just crack.
Tulowitzki required 16 stitches, but doctors told him the shards of wood that sliced into his right hand didn't damage any tendons or nerves, he said.
Source: Associated Press
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Sunday, Jul 6, 2008 11:46 am EDT
Penguins sign Cooke to 2-year deal
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The Pittsburgh Penguins continued to restock their roster Saturday, signing forward Matt Cooke to a two-year contract.
"Matt is a versatile forward that will bring grit, energy and experience to our lineup," said Pens general manager Ray Shero. "He is the type of player that adds depth up front and is capable of providing offense for our hockey club."
Cooke split last season between the Vancouver Canucks and Washington Capitals, scoring 10 goals and adding 13 assists in 78 total games. The 29-year-old spent eight-plus seasons with the Canucks before going to the Caps in a trade deadline deal for forward Matt Pettinger. Vancouver's sixth-round pick in 1997 has posted 86 goals and 210 points in 583 career contests.
Source: Sports Network
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Sunday, Jul 6, 2008 11:35 am EDT
Nieuwendyk will meet with Toronto brass
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Sources tell TSN that former Maple Leaf Joe Nieuwendyk is scheduled to meet with Toronto general manager Cliff Fletcher this week to discuss joining the team's management group.
Fletcher's first attempt to bring Nieuwendyk on board was stopped by the Florida Panthers, who refused to give the Maple Leafs permission to speak Nieuwendyk before his contract as an advisor to Panthers general manager Jacques Martin expired on June 30.
Nieuwendyk, a three-time Stanley Cup winner with the Calgary Flames, Dallas Stars and New Jersey Devils, played 1,257 career games over 20 NHL seasons, scoring 564 goals and 1,126 points.
Source: TSN.ca
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Sunday, Jul 6, 2008 11:27 am EDT
Penny has more shoulder pain
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Brad Penny cut short his simulated game Saturday because of discomfort in his right shoulder and has been ruled out from being activated before the All-Star break by Manager Joe Torre. Penny will be examined on Monday by team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
"I felt it a little bit," Penny said of the shoulder pain that landed him on the disabled list last month.
Dodgers miss a great chance, losing to... Photos: Giants 5, Dodgers 2Penny complained of discomfort a few pitches into the fourth inning of his simulated game, but Torre said that trainer Stan Conte didn't think there was anything structurally wrong with Penny's shoulder.
Torre said he liked what he saw from Penny until he had to stop throwing.
Source: Los Angeles Times
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Sunday, Jul 6, 2008 11:22 am EDT
Skimming in Domenican Republic could rock MLB to its core
When Ronaldo Peralta was asked to head up the office in charge of enforcing Major League Baseball's regulations in the Dominican Republic a few years back, it was like sending a single sheriff into a lawless town in the Old West.
"People would pull guns on each other sometimes," he said shortly after taking over. "Well, they still do that. But not as much."
No, nowadays baseball is confronting a different kind of lawlessness in the Dominican. And it has the potential to shake the game there to its core. Federal agents, following up on baseball's own two-month investigation, have been interviewing representatives of all 30 major league teams after the May firing of Dave Wilder, the Chicago White Sox's senior personnel director, and two White Sox scouts. According to the Chicago Tribune, investigators are looking into whether Wilder may have pocketed portions of the bonuses the White Sox gave him to sign Dominican prospects. Ross Rice, a spokesman for the FBI office in Chicago, said no criminal charges have been filed.
Wilder has said nothing publicly since his firing.
And it may go higher than that. Several baseball sources, all of whom said their jobs would be jeopardized if they spoke on the record about a federal investigation, say at least one general manager has already come under suspicion. Peralta and officials in the commissioner's office declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation. But according to Daniel and others, the recent escalation of bonuses that teams are paying in Latin America has made it easier and more profitable to skim money from players and teams according to the Los Angeles Times.
Dominican scouts, known on the island as buscones, or "searchers," have been doing that for at least a decade. Many tell families up front they will take 30% or more of a player's bonus when he signs, then play teams off one another in negotiations to drive that bonus — and, consequently, their cut — higher.
Source: Los Angeles Times
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Sunday, Jul 6, 2008 11:17 am EDT
Lakers waiting on decisions from Vujacic, Turiaf
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The Los Angeles Lakers continue to take part in a slow-speed chase, waiting to see whether Sasha Vujacic and Ronny Turiaf receive offers from other teams that would price the restricted free agents out of the Lakers' comfort zone.
Last week, the Lakers made one-year qualifying offers to Vujacic for $2.6 million and Turiaf for $1 million, though both players are seeking longer-term deals worth more money. They are each trying to bring a signed offer sheet from another team to the Lakers, who will then have seven days to match.
The Lakers paid almost $5 million in luxury taxes last season and currently have a payroll of $75.1 million for 10 players with guaranteed contracts next season, already putting them on pace to pay more luxury taxes next season. The exact dollar figure for the luxury-tax threshold for 2008-09 will soon be announced by the league.
The Lakers are interested in retaining Vujacic but have not offered him more than $5 million a season. Free agents such as Vujacic typically hope to receive a team's mid-level exception for about $6 million a season, though the 24-year-old has not signed an offer sheet yet. Turiaf, 25, is expected to receive less money than Vujacic.
The Lakers are also hoping to sign Sun Yue, a second-round pick from last year who will play on the Chinese national team this summer. They are somewhat interested in bringing back unrestricted free-agent center DJ Mbenga at a low cost. Unrestricted free agent Ira Newble will not return. The Lakers must also determine over the next few months whether to exercise a one-year, $712,000 team option on Coby Karl. Joe Crawford, the team's second-round pick out of Kentucky.
Source: Los Angeles Times
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Sunday, Jul 6, 2008 11:12 am EDT
Clippers deserve better from Brand, Kaman
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Typically for the Clippers, at the end of what should have been a gorgeous summer week, we have been left with two gloomy thoughts. Elton Brand as a Golden State Warrior. Chris Kaman as a German.
The poor Sterlings just can't seem to get any Gluck, their best player threatening to walk away from his reputation while their most promising player takes complete leave of his senses wrote Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke.
"It's always something," said Coach Mike Dunleavy.
In this case, two somethings, both of which should be nothings. Brand should not sign with the Golden State Warriors, not even for $20 million more than the Clippers' offer, not if he is true to his image and his word. Kaman should not play for the German national team, even though his grandparents were German, because stronger loyalties should lie with his health and his $52-million Clippers contract.
After the celebrated agreement with Baron Davis, neither of these things should even be an issue.
Shouldn't the rest of the fellas be excited about the arrival of a star?
Isn't this how the Boston Celtics just won a championship?
Source: Los Angeles Times
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Sunday, Jul 6, 2008 11:02 am EDT
Fan struck with broken bat will sue New York City
A New York Mets fan has put the city on notice that he intends to file a $5.5 million lawsuit for a Aug. 8, 2007, flying-bat incident at Shea Stadium that left him with broken teeth, facial fractures and a split palate.
James Falzon, 48, was in the second row — along the third-base line with his dad, 11-year-old son and 9-year-old nephew — watching the Mets play the Atlanta Braves on an annual family outing to Shea. As Mets second baseman Luis Castillo smacked a seventh-inning fly ball, his bat shattered and shards flew into the seats.
I was watching the ball," Falzon said, "and [the shards] hit me in the face. It knocked me off my chair."
The disfiguring injuries left him with massive bleeding, extensive hospital care and permanent metal plates and pins, he said.
"It broke my whole face," Falzon said.
Shea Stadium, owned by the city, has netting up to protect those sitting behind home plate. Falzon contends in Queens Supreme Court papers that there should be netting to protect other sections of seating as well.
Source: New York Post
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