Sporting News staff reports
The South Florida Sun Sentinel speculated Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez could be on the hot seat. Loria, speaking with The Miami Herald before the team’s game in Washington on Friday, tried to put a stop to that talk.
"Please, stop with that," Loria said. "Fredi and I are just fine. Fredi and the Marlins are just fine. Enough already. Please stop. I am not giving more life to what you want to be a story. Did you just see me come and hug the guy?"
But Loria also said that the team is underperforming. He added that Gonzalez addressed the team prior to the game.
"Who can be thrilled with being two games under?" Loria asked. "The team is better than that. Fredi had a long talk with them today. State of the Union message. the appropraiate city to do that in. I told him he should do that up at the Lincoln Memorial. Maybe they would be overwhelmed. They know they’re not playing up to their abilities. I have no worries whatsoever. They’re going to be fine.
"There’s a lot of room to move forward. We came out of spring training, I thought, a little flat, and we’re working our way out of that now."
The Sun-Sentinel noted that Loria nearly replaced Gonzalez following last season and that he said before the season that he expects to make the playoffs.
Sporting News staff reports
The South Florida Sun Sentinel speculated Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez could be on the hot seat. Loria, speaking with The Miami Herald before the team’s game in Washington on Friday, tried to put a stop to that talk.
"Please, stop with that," Loria said. "Fredi and I are just fine. Fredi and the Marlins are just fine. Enough already. Please stop. I am not giving more life to what you want to be a story. Did you just see me come and hug the guy?"
But Loria also said that the team is underperforming. He added that Gonzalez addressed the team prior to the game.
"Who can be thrilled with being two games under?" Loria asked. "The team is better than that. Fredi had a long talk with them today. State of the Union message. the appropraiate city to do that in. I told him he should do that up at the Lincoln Memorial. Maybe they would be overwhelmed. They know they’re not playing up to their abilities. I have no worries whatsoever. They’re going to be fine.
"There’s a lot of room to move forward. We came out of spring training, I thought, a little flat, and we’re working our way out of that now."
The Sun-Sentinel noted that Loria nearly replaced Gonzalez following last season and that he said before the season that he expects to make the playoffs.
Sporting News staff reports
Red Sox manager Terry Francona on Friday offered his theory as to why his team’s games against the Yankees take so long to play — essentially, both teams are good and they play on TV a lot.
"There’s various reasons," Francona said in a radio interview with Dan Patrick. "One is, most of them are nationally televised, so you’re going to add a lot of time between innings right off the get-go. Every pitch, every thing is contested. Every pitch is so meaningful, and the players take it that way, the managers take it that way, the coaches take it that way.
"It’s not that people don’t care, that they don’t respect the game. It’s just it’s a big deal, and sometimes the games last longer. I don’t think people mind. Seems like a lot of people are watching."
Boston and New York are playing a three-game series this weekend, with Saturday’s game on Fox and Sunday’s game on ESPN. Their three-game set in April averaged 3 1/2 hours per game, leading umpire Joe West — who worked the series — to call the teams’ pacing "embarrassing," among other things.
Sporting News staff reports
Red Sox manager Terry Francona on Friday offered his theory as to why his team’s games against the Yankees take so long to play — essentially, both teams are good and they play on TV a lot.
"There’s various reasons," Francona said in a radio interview with Dan Patrick. "One is, most of them are nationally televised, so you’re going to add a lot of time between innings right off the get-go. Every pitch, every thing is contested. Every pitch is so meaningful, and the players take it that way, the managers take it that way, the coaches take it that way.
"It’s not that people don’t care, that they don’t respect the game. It’s just it’s a big deal, and sometimes the games last longer. I don’t think people mind. Seems like a lot of people are watching."
Boston and New York are playing a three-game series this weekend, with Saturday’s game on Fox and Sunday’s game on ESPN. Their three-game set in April averaged 3 1/2 hours per game, leading umpire Joe West — who worked the series — to call the teams’ pacing "embarrassing," among other things.
Sporting News staff reports
The Cubs on Friday promoted prized shortstop prospect Starlin Castro from Class AA Tennessee, and the 20-year-old phenom wasted no time making his mark — he homered in his first major league at-bat and lined a bases-loaded triple, giving him six RBIs in his big-league debut.
Castro, a right-handed batter, launched an opposite-field, 3-run blast to right in the second inning against Reds starter Homer Bailey. The home run came on a 2-2 pitch. In the fifth, against reliever Micah Owings, he laced a liner into the left-center field gap, clearing the bases.
Castro hit .429 with a homer and five RBIs in 35 Cactus League at-bats this spring, and he hit .376 with a homer and 20 RBIs in 26 games with Tennessee this season.
With Castro taking over as the Cubs’ starting shortstop, Ryan Theriot will shift to second base and Mike Fontenot will become a reserve. Theriot has played exclusively at shortstop since the 2008 season but has played 79 games at second in his major league career.
Sporting News staff reports
The Cubs on Friday promoted prized shortstop prospect Starlin Castro from Class AA Tennessee, and the 20-year-old phenom wasted no time making his mark — he homered in his first major league at-bat and lined a bases-loaded triple, giving him six RBIs in his big-league debut.
Castro, a right-handed batter, launched an opposite-field, 3-run blast to right in the second inning against Reds starter Homer Bailey. The home run came on a 2-2 pitch. In the fifth, against reliever Micah Owings, he laced a liner into the left-center field gap, clearing the bases.
Castro hit .429 with a homer and five RBIs in 35 Cactus League at-bats this spring, and he hit .376 with a homer and 20 RBIs in 26 games with Tennessee this season.
With Castro taking over as the Cubs’ starting shortstop, Ryan Theriot will shift to second base and Mike Fontenot will become a reserve. Theriot has played exclusively at shortstop since the 2008 season but has played 79 games at second in his major league career.
The Tampa Bay Rays are off to the best start in baseball and a big reason is the pitching of Matt Garza. If you have a question for Garza, send it, along with your name and hometown to kbradley@sportingnews.com and we’ll have him answer five of the best ones in a future issue of Sporting News magazine.
The Tampa Bay Rays are off to the best start in baseball and a big reason is the pitching of Matt Garza. If you have a question for Garza, send it, along with your name and hometown to kbradley@sportingnews.com and we’ll have him answer five of the best ones in a future issue of Sporting News magazine.
Sporting News staff reports
Rasheed Davis, the alleged pimp in the Lawrence Taylor rape case.
The 16-year-old girl who was allegedly raped by Lawrence Taylor told police that her pimp instructed her to tell Taylor that she was 19 years old, TMZ.com reports citing FBI documents.
Taylor is facing charges of third-degee rape, which involves having intercourse with a person under the age of consent, which is 17 in New York state.
Meanwhile, TMZ.com has obtained a photo of Rasheed Davis, the alleged pimp involved in the case.
The police are accusing Davis of punching the alleged victim in the face before taking her to Taylor’s hotel room.
Davis, who faces several charges related to the Taylor case, previously served a 14-year stint in prison on a first-degree manslaughter conviction and was released in 2008, TMZ.com reports.
• More from TMZ on Lawrence Taylor
Sporting News staff reports
Rasheed Davis, the alleged pimp in the Lawrence Taylor rape case.
The 16-year-old girl who was allegedly raped by Lawrence Taylor told police that her pimp instructed her to tell Taylor that she was 19 years old, TMZ.com reports citing FBI documents.
Taylor is facing charges of third-degee rape, which involves having intercourse with a person under the age of consent, which is 17 in New York state.
Meanwhile, TMZ.com has obtained a photo of Rasheed Davis, the alleged pimp involved in the case.
The police are accusing Davis of punching the alleged victim in the face before taking her to Taylor’s hotel room.
Davis, who faces several charges related to the Taylor case, previously served a 14-year stint in prison on a first-degree manslaughter conviction and was released in 2008, TMZ.com reports.
• More from TMZ on Lawrence Taylor
Sporting News staff reports
U.S. Cellular Field the site of latest fan-on-field incident.
A fan ran onto the field during the Blue Jays’ 2-0 win over the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field on Thursday, according to multiple reports out of Chicago.
Security subdued the man without using a Taser, as the fan "hook-slid, calmly going to his knees in surrender," the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
The incident is notable because there were two similar incidents in Philadelphia earlier in the week, the first of which ended when a police office Tasered the fan on the field. The next night at Citizens Bank Park, Phillies security corralled the offending fan without a Taser. The Phillies announced that they were changing their security policy to keep police officers off the field unless greater force is necessary to remove a fan.
U.S. Cellular Field was the site of the fan attack on Kansas City Royals first base coach Tom Gamboa in 2002. In the wake of the Gamboa incident, the White Sox pushed for tougher penalties for fans who run on the field, the Chicago Tribune notes.
Sporting News staff reports
U.S. Cellular Field the site of latest fan-on-field incident.
A fan ran onto the field during the Blue Jays’ 2-0 win over the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field on Thursday, according to multiple reports out of Chicago.
Security subdued the man without using a Taser, as the fan "hook-slid, calmly going to his knees in surrender," the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
The incident is notable because there were two similar incidents in Philadelphia earlier in the week, the first of which ended when a police office Tasered the fan on the field. The next night at Citizens Bank Park, Phillies security corralled the offending fan without a Taser. The Phillies announced that they were changing their security policy to keep police officers off the field unless greater force is necessary to remove a fan.
U.S. Cellular Field was the site of the fan attack on Kansas City Royals first base coach Tom Gamboa in 2002. In the wake of the Gamboa incident, the White Sox pushed for tougher penalties for fans who run on the field, the Chicago Tribune notes.
Thursday’s arrest on a charge that he raped a teenage girl in a New York hotel is just the latest legal trouble that Lawrence Taylor had found himself in:
Feb. 14, 1986: Enters six-week drug-rehab program in Houston, stays one week.
March 20, 1986: Admits in public statement that he has received help for substance abuse.
Aug. 29, 1988: Given 30-day, four-game suspension for second violation of NFL’s drugabuse policy for cocaine use.
March 1989: Fails breath test when police find him asleep behind the wheel of his Jeep beside the Garden State Parkway in N.J.
May 10, 1989: Acquitted in Saddlebrook, N.J., of drunken driving charges.
Oct. 1995: Tries to choke a reporter after a Giants practice.
April 16, 1996: Driver’s license suspended for outstanding parking tickets in Newark, N.J.
May 3, 1996: One of 15 arrested in Myrtle Beach, S.C., for allegedly trying to buy $100 worth of crack from undercover police while in town for a celebrity golf tourney. Charges dropped when LT agrees to 60 hours of public service.
June 4, 1997: Pleaded guilty to filing false 1990 income-tax return and failing to report $48,000 income from the now-defunct LT Sports Club in East Rutherford, N.J.
May 13, 1998: Arrested in his New Jersey home in a roundup of deadbeat parents. Released after about 10 hours in jail when a friend pays $6,000 in child support and for an outstanding traffic violation.
Oct. 19, 1998: Arrested again, this time in Florida, for allegedly buying $50 in crack from an undercover cop and for possessing drug paraphernalia.
Nov. 2009: Arrested in Miami for leaving the scene of an accident.
May 6, 2010: Arrested and accused of raping a teenage girl at a hotel in Suffern, N.Y.
Source: New York Daily News
Thursday’s arrest on a charge that he raped a teenage girl in a New York hotel is just the latest legal trouble that Lawrence Taylor had found himself in:
Feb. 14, 1986: Enters six-week drug-rehab program in Houston, stays one week.
March 20, 1986: Admits in public statement that he has received help for substance abuse.
Aug. 29, 1988: Given 30-day, four-game suspension for second violation of NFL’s drugabuse policy for cocaine use.
March 1989: Fails breath test when police find him asleep behind the wheel of his Jeep beside the Garden State Parkway in N.J.
May 10, 1989: Acquitted in Saddlebrook, N.J., of drunken driving charges.
Oct. 1995: Tries to choke a reporter after a Giants practice.
April 16, 1996: Driver’s license suspended for outstanding parking tickets in Newark, N.J.
May 3, 1996: One of 15 arrested in Myrtle Beach, S.C., for allegedly trying to buy $100 worth of crack from undercover police while in town for a celebrity golf tourney. Charges dropped when LT agrees to 60 hours of public service.
June 4, 1997: Pleaded guilty to filing false 1990 income-tax return and failing to report $48,000 income from the now-defunct LT Sports Club in East Rutherford, N.J.
May 13, 1998: Arrested in his New Jersey home in a roundup of deadbeat parents. Released after about 10 hours in jail when a friend pays $6,000 in child support and for an outstanding traffic violation.
Oct. 19, 1998: Arrested again, this time in Florida, for allegedly buying $50 in crack from an undercover cop and for possessing drug paraphernalia.
Nov. 2009: Arrested in Miami for leaving the scene of an accident.
May 6, 2010: Arrested and accused of raping a teenage girl at a hotel in Suffern, N.Y.
Source: New York Daily News
Sporting News staff reports
Weight-loss program Nutrisystem has ended its endorsement deal with Lawrence Taylor following the Pro Football Hall of Famer’s arrest on rape charges, SportsBusiness Daily reports citing multiple sources.
Taylor has appeared in Nutrisystem TV commercials after becoming an endorser in March 2009. The brand uses several sports figures as endorsers, including Dan Marino, Don Shula and John Kruk.
Nutrisystem has replaced Taylor’s image on their website with Padres right fielder Matt Stairs, TMZ.com reports.
Florio: Taylor’s celebrity may cost him
Sporting News staff reports
Weight-loss program Nutrisystem has ended its endorsement deal with Lawrence Taylor following the Pro Football Hall of Famer’s arrest on rape charges, SportsBusiness Daily reports citing multiple sources.
Taylor has appeared in Nutrisystem TV commercials after becoming an endorser in March 2009. The brand uses several sports figures as endorsers, including Dan Marino, Don Shula and John Kruk.
Nutrisystem has replaced Taylor’s image on their website with Padres right fielder Matt Stairs, TMZ.com reports.
Florio: Taylor’s celebrity may cost him
Sporting News staff reports
Astros left fielder Carlos Lee tells the Houston Chronicle he may retire when his contract runs out after the 2012 season.
"I don’t know if I’m going to play after this contract," Lee says. "I’m ready to go home."
Lee is due $18.5 million this year and the next two. He owns cattle ranches in Texas and his native Panama.
"Maybe on my last year if I still have a love for the game and I still feel like I can play, I will probably come back," Lee says. "As of right now, me and my family have plans to finish up here in Houston."
The Chronicle points out that Lee has a full no-trade clause this year and limited no-trade rights in 2011. He would regain full rights in 2012 when he reaches five years of service with the Astros.
Sporting News staff reports
Astros left fielder Carlos Lee tells the Houston Chronicle he may retire when his contract runs out after the 2012 season.
"I don’t know if I’m going to play after this contract," Lee says. "I’m ready to go home."
Lee is due $18.5 million this year and the next two. He owns cattle ranches in Texas and his native Panama.
"Maybe on my last year if I still have a love for the game and I still feel like I can play, I will probably come back," Lee says. "As of right now, me and my family have plans to finish up here in Houston."
The Chronicle points out that Lee has a full no-trade clause this year and limited no-trade rights in 2011. He would regain full rights in 2012 when he reaches five years of service with the Astros.
Sporting News staff reports
Injured Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts said Thursday he still doesn’t know when he’ll return to action.
"The doctors have got me on a great physical therapy program. We are working and making progress. Unfortunately, I just don’t have a final date right now," Roberts told the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network in an interview during the team’s pregame show.
"My back is feeling a lot better, but unfortunately, the disk injury and the nerve injury is something that they say will really just heal over time, and there’s really nothing that you can do to speed the process up."
Roberts strained his abdomen and aggravated a back injury on April 9. He has been on the disabled list since. There have been reports he could be out until midseason.
"Right now, we’re just trying to be patient, trying to work hard, trying to keep my body in shape enough that when the time is right, I’ll be ready to get back out there," Roberts said.
Sporting News staff reports
Injured Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts said Thursday he still doesn’t know when he’ll return to action.
"The doctors have got me on a great physical therapy program. We are working and making progress. Unfortunately, I just don’t have a final date right now," Roberts told the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network in an interview during the team’s pregame show.
"My back is feeling a lot better, but unfortunately, the disk injury and the nerve injury is something that they say will really just heal over time, and there’s really nothing that you can do to speed the process up."
Roberts strained his abdomen and aggravated a back injury on April 9. He has been on the disabled list since. There have been reports he could be out until midseason.
"Right now, we’re just trying to be patient, trying to work hard, trying to keep my body in shape enough that when the time is right, I’ll be ready to get back out there," Roberts said.
