Sporting News staff reports
The Rangers have acquired catcher Bengie Molina and cash from the Giants for reliever Chris Ray and a player to be named, according to multiple media reports.
The deal is subject to approval by the commissioner’s office, which is assisting the for-sale Rangers financially. The San Jose Mercury News reports San Francisco will pay the Rangers $2 million to offset the difference in Molina’s and Ray’s prorated salaries. Molina is due to make about $2.5 million the rest of this season.
Molina was notified of the trade Wednesday night after the Giants arrived in Denver for a series with the Rockies, but he will remain with San Francisco until the deal becomes official. The Rangers will be in Anaheim, Calif., on Thursday to play the Angels.
"The commissioner has to approve something on the deal. So they, (manager Bruce) Bochy, told me, be aware, and if I don’t hear anything by the time of (today’s) game, go to the field," Molina told the Mercury News.
Rangers general manager Jon Daniels would not confirm the trade Wednesday night, telling reporters he had "nothing to report at this time."
Texas has been seeking an upgrade at catcher for some time. They reportedly tried to obtain A.J. Pierzynski from the White Sox last month. The Giants, meanwhile, have rookie Buster Posey ready to succeed Molina behind the plate.
FoxSports.com’s Jon Paul Morosi was first to report that a deal was close. USA Today was first to report the deal had been completed.
Sporting News staff reports
The Rangers have acquired catcher Bengie Molina and cash from the Giants for reliever Chris Ray and a player to be named, according to multiple media reports.
The deal is subject to approval by the commissioner’s office, which is assisting the for-sale Rangers financially. The San Jose Mercury News reports San Francisco will pay the Rangers $2 million to offset the difference in Molina’s and Ray’s prorated salaries. Molina is due to make about $2.5 million the rest of this season.
Molina was notified of the trade Wednesday night after the Giants arrived in Denver for a series with the Rockies, but he will remain with San Francisco until the deal becomes official. The Rangers will be in Anaheim, Calif., on Thursday to play the Angels.
"The commissioner has to approve something on the deal. So they, (manager Bruce) Bochy, told me, be aware, and if I don’t hear anything by the time of (today’s) game, go to the field," Molina told the Mercury News.
Rangers general manager Jon Daniels would not confirm the trade Wednesday night, telling reporters he had "nothing to report at this time."
Texas has been seeking an upgrade at catcher for some time. They reportedly tried to obtain A.J. Pierzynski from the White Sox last month. The Giants, meanwhile, have rookie Buster Posey ready to succeed Molina behind the plate.
FoxSports.com’s Jon Paul Morosi was first to report that a deal was close. USA Today was first to report the deal had been completed.
Sporting News staff reports
Diamondbacks right-hander Dan Haren tells the St. Louis Post-Dispatch he wouldn’t mind returning to the Cardinals in a trade, but he adds he isn’t asking out of Arizona.
"I’ve always said I’d like to play here again," Haren tells the P-D’s Rick Hummel. "It’s not a situation where I’m asking to be traded. … I’m sure it will get crazy come July 31." The Diamondbacks completed a three-game series in St. Louis on Wednesday. Haren pitched eight innings in the middle game Tuesday.
St. Louis traded Haren to the A’s in 2004 as part of the Mark Mulder deal, and Oakland flipped him to Arizona three years later. Now Haren is a valuable trade chip for the Diamondbacks, and the Redbirds are among the teams reportedly expressing interest.
A deal likely would be costly in terms of prospects, and certainly expensive in terms of salary. Haren is making $8.5 million this season and is due $25.5 million over the next two years. His contract also includes a $15.5 million club option for 2013. The pact does not include a no-trade clause.
Sporting News staff reports
Diamondbacks right-hander Dan Haren tells the St. Louis Post-Dispatch he wouldn’t mind returning to the Cardinals in a trade, but he adds he isn’t asking out of Arizona.
"I’ve always said I’d like to play here again," Haren tells the P-D’s Rick Hummel. "It’s not a situation where I’m asking to be traded. … I’m sure it will get crazy come July 31." The Diamondbacks completed a three-game series in St. Louis on Wednesday. Haren pitched eight innings in the middle game Tuesday.
St. Louis traded Haren to the A’s in 2004 as part of the Mark Mulder deal, and Oakland flipped him to Arizona three years later. Now Haren is a valuable trade chip for the Diamondbacks, and the Redbirds are among the teams reportedly expressing interest.
A deal likely would be costly in terms of prospects, and certainly expensive in terms of salary. Haren is making $8.5 million this season and is due $25.5 million over the next two years. His contract also includes a $15.5 million club option for 2013. The pact does not include a no-trade clause.
Sporting News staff reports
The New York Daily News reports Mariners left-hander Cliff Lee is the Mets’ No. 1 trade target a month before the July 31 nonwaiver deadline, with Astros righty Roy Oswalt their Plan B.
The Mets scouted Lee’s complete-game victory over the Yankees on Tuesday and are considered a favorite in the Lee sweepstakes. The Mariners have yet to make Lee available, however, and it’s not clear whether the Mets can meet the demands of Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik.
Oswalt is considered far more available, but the cost of top prospects and the $25 million or so remaining on his contract may be prohibitive, the News reports.
The News adds that the Mets are not interested in mid-level starters such as Kevin Millwood and Jake Westbrook.
Sporting News staff reports
The New York Daily News reports Mariners left-hander Cliff Lee is the Mets’ No. 1 trade target a month before the July 31 nonwaiver deadline, with Astros righty Roy Oswalt their Plan B.
The Mets scouted Lee’s complete-game victory over the Yankees on Tuesday and are considered a favorite in the Lee sweepstakes. The Mariners have yet to make Lee available, however, and it’s not clear whether the Mets can meet the demands of Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik.
Oswalt is considered far more available, but the cost of top prospects and the $25 million or so remaining on his contract may be prohibitive, the News reports.
The News adds that the Mets are not interested in mid-level starters such as Kevin Millwood and Jake Westbrook.
Sporting News staff reports
Orioles Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. told the Baltimore Sun that talks about him possibly serving in an advisory and secondary role with the team are "progressing nicely."
Ripken has been speaking and meeting with Orioles owner Peter Angelos and president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, though he isn’t certain if a deal will be in place by the start of the 2011 season.
Sporting News staff reports
Orioles Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. told the Baltimore Sun that talks about him possibly serving in an advisory and secondary role with the team are "progressing nicely."
Ripken has been speaking and meeting with Orioles owner Peter Angelos and president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, though he isn’t certain if a deal will be in place by the start of the 2011 season.
Sporting News staff reports
Despite injuries to a handful of key players — second baseman Dustin Pedroia, catcher Victor Martinez, right-hander Josh Beckett and outfielders Jacoby Ellsbury and Jeremy Hermida are on the disabled list — Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein told The Boston Globe the team won’t panic as the nonwaiver trading deadline nears.
"You have to keep relying on players who might not be household names to most of our fans, but are here for a reason and continue to find ways to win. … We’ve thrived on getting contributions from unlikely sources," Epstein said. "We’re going to see how this group plays and how the guys who are getting opportunities with the injuries fill in, see how they do the job before we do anything else."
Sporting News staff reports
Despite injuries to a handful of key players — second baseman Dustin Pedroia, catcher Victor Martinez, right-hander Josh Beckett and outfielders Jacoby Ellsbury and Jeremy Hermida are on the disabled list — Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein told The Boston Globe the team won’t panic as the nonwaiver trading deadline nears.
"You have to keep relying on players who might not be household names to most of our fans, but are here for a reason and continue to find ways to win. … We’ve thrived on getting contributions from unlikely sources," Epstein said. "We’re going to see how this group plays and how the guys who are getting opportunities with the injuries fill in, see how they do the job before we do anything else."
Among first-half surprises, the Padres’ rise, the Cubs’ collapse, Jose Bautista’s slugging and now-retired Ken Griffey Jr.’s non-slugging top the list. But don’t forget the Mets.
After a troubled offseason that seemed to put their general manager and manager on the firing line before the season opener, many figured the club would be buried in bad news by now.
But the Mets are hanging tough in the NL East. They have lost their past two games but trail the Braves, another surprise (a mild one, anyway), by just 1.5 games.
Surprise! R.A. Dickey has helped pitch the Mets into contention.
Just as surprising as the Mets’ climb into contention has been one of the key reasons behind their good fortune. If you pegged R.A. Dickey to be 6-1 with a 2.98 ERA at this point, you should be living in Las Vegas.
When the Mets agreed to a minor league deal with Dickey this past December on the same day the cross-town Yankees acquired Javier Vazquez, Dickey barely made it on the transactions page. He was an aging righthander who hadn’t cut it as a conventional pitcher but didn’t want to give up, so he converted to full-time knuckling in 2005. That didn’t work so well, either, and Dickey spent about as much time in the minors as the majors over the next four years.
Well, score one for persistence. Dickey put his name in the Mets’ record book by winning his first six decisions after he was promoted in May. He might have saved not only his career but the Mets’ season, too. Dickey has had plenty of help, of course, but the club is 24-13 since his debut.
For now anyway, Dickey’s career is spinning in the right direction after he conquered the difficult (and disappearing) skill of throwing a baseball without spin.
"It’s not so much that it’s working better, it’s just working more," Dickey says. "The movement I’m getting is late in the strike zone. That was happening before but just not as often."
As for any pitcher, the key has been throwing strikes. Dickey is walking only 2.6 batters per nine innings this season after averaging 4.1 per nine over his previous two seasons in the majors. "I’m in year five of throwing the pitch and feel like I’ve put in enough work to where my muscle memory is starting to take it over. Like anything, there comes a point when you don’t want to have to think about what you’re doing on the mound. You just want it to occur very organically, very naturally. That’s happening more than ever."
Because pitchers like to put doubt in hitters’ minds whenever they can, knuckleballers often say they don’t know where their pitch is going. "We all play into that big time," former knuckleballer Tom Candiotti admits. Don’t buy it, at least not completely.
Candiotti, who walked 2.9 per nine innings in a 16-year career, says throwing strikes isn’t that difficult once you have down the mechanics. "You try to drill the catcher in the mask," he says.
Do that and the knuckleball likely will drop into the strike zone. "Once in a while you throw the one that goes crazy but most of the time, the ball is going to break one of three ways — down to the left, down to the right or straight down," Candiotti says.
Knuckleballs confound hitters, embarrass catchers and bore scouts but they’re a special, if often overlooked, part of the game. Look at it this way: If you’ve ever played catch, you’re probably tried to throw one. It’s no wonder knuckleballers stick together.
"At one point, I was the only guy in the big leagues who threw a knuckleball," says Candiotti, who pitched from 1983-99. "Around 1987, (then Rangers pitching coach) Tom House, who had a huge interest in knuckleball pitchers, told me, ‘Congratulations’ one day. I said, ‘Thanks, what did I do?’ ‘You’ve become the 20th pitcher in the history of baseball to become a full-time knuckleball pitcher.’ I know it was important to Phil Niekro and Charlie Hough and those guys for me to carry the torch.
You don’t have to be knuckleballer — or a Mets fan — to root for Dickey. Anyone who values perseverance can appreciate the years it has taken to have even six weeks of success. "It was a real grueling transition," Dickey says. "But I always had the hope that it would end up on the other side."
Now that he has made a successful transition, he could stick around for a while. The stress of throwing knuckleballs is not much greater than playing catch. "I was in the eighth inning (of a recent start) and felt like I had only thrown a couple of innings," Dickey says.
Considering that good knuckleballers typically last well into their 40s, Dickey, 35, hopes he is just starting. He points out that Tim Wakefield, Niekro and Hough all had plenty of success after turning 35.
"I’m still a prospect," Dickey says. "Like I’m 28 in knuckleball years."
That remains to be seen, but at least he has been able to spin the Mets’ season in the right direction — without any spin on his pitches, of course.
Stan McNeal is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at smcneal@sportingnews.com.
Among first-half surprises, the Padres’ rise, the Cubs’ collapse, Jose Bautista’s slugging and now-retired Ken Griffey Jr.’s non-slugging top the list. But don’t forget the Mets.
After a troubled offseason that seemed to put their general manager and manager on the firing line before the season opener, many figured the club would be buried in bad news by now.
But the Mets are hanging tough in the NL East. They have lost their past two games but trail the Braves, another surprise (a mild one, anyway), by just 1.5 games.
Surprise! R.A. Dickey has helped pitch the Mets into contention.
Just as surprising as the Mets’ climb into contention has been one of the key reasons behind their good fortune. If you pegged R.A. Dickey to be 6-1 with a 2.98 ERA at this point, you should be living in Las Vegas.
When the Mets agreed to a minor league deal with Dickey this past December on the same day the cross-town Yankees acquired Javier Vazquez, Dickey barely made it on the transactions page. He was an aging righthander who hadn’t cut it as a conventional pitcher but didn’t want to give up, so he converted to full-time knuckling in 2005. That didn’t work so well, either, and Dickey spent about as much time in the minors as the majors over the next four years.
Well, score one for persistence. Dickey put his name in the Mets’ record book by winning his first six decisions after he was promoted in May. He might have saved not only his career but the Mets’ season, too. Dickey has had plenty of help, of course, but the club is 24-13 since his debut.
For now anyway, Dickey’s career is spinning in the right direction after he conquered the difficult (and disappearing) skill of throwing a baseball without spin.
"It’s not so much that it’s working better, it’s just working more," Dickey says. "The movement I’m getting is late in the strike zone. That was happening before but just not as often."
As for any pitcher, the key has been throwing strikes. Dickey is walking only 2.6 batters per nine innings this season after averaging 4.1 per nine over his previous two seasons in the majors. "I’m in year five of throwing the pitch and feel like I’ve put in enough work to where my muscle memory is starting to take it over. Like anything, there comes a point when you don’t want to have to think about what you’re doing on the mound. You just want it to occur very organically, very naturally. That’s happening more than ever."
Because pitchers like to put doubt in hitters’ minds whenever they can, knuckleballers often say they don’t know where their pitch is going. "We all play into that big time," former knuckleballer Tom Candiotti admits. Don’t buy it, at least not completely.
Candiotti, who walked 2.9 per nine innings in a 16-year career, says throwing strikes isn’t that difficult once you have down the mechanics. "You try to drill the catcher in the mask," he says.
Do that and the knuckleball likely will drop into the strike zone. "Once in a while you throw the one that goes crazy but most of the time, the ball is going to break one of three ways — down to the left, down to the right or straight down," Candiotti says.
Knuckleballs confound hitters, embarrass catchers and bore scouts but they’re a special, if often overlooked, part of the game. Look at it this way: If you’ve ever played catch, you’re probably tried to throw one. It’s no wonder knuckleballers stick together.
"At one point, I was the only guy in the big leagues who threw a knuckleball," says Candiotti, who pitched from 1983-99. "Around 1987, (then Rangers pitching coach) Tom House, who had a huge interest in knuckleball pitchers, told me, ‘Congratulations’ one day. I said, ‘Thanks, what did I do?’ ‘You’ve become the 20th pitcher in the history of baseball to become a full-time knuckleball pitcher.’ I know it was important to Phil Niekro and Charlie Hough and those guys for me to carry the torch.
You don’t have to be knuckleballer — or a Mets fan — to root for Dickey. Anyone who values perseverance can appreciate the years it has taken to have even six weeks of success. "It was a real grueling transition," Dickey says. "But I always had the hope that it would end up on the other side."
Now that he has made a successful transition, he could stick around for a while. The stress of throwing knuckleballs is not much greater than playing catch. "I was in the eighth inning (of a recent start) and felt like I had only thrown a couple of innings," Dickey says.
Considering that good knuckleballers typically last well into their 40s, Dickey, 35, hopes he is just starting. He points out that Tim Wakefield, Niekro and Hough all had plenty of success after turning 35.
"I’m still a prospect," Dickey says. "Like I’m 28 in knuckleball years."
That remains to be seen, but at least he has been able to spin the Mets’ season in the right direction — without any spin on his pitches, of course.
Stan McNeal is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at smcneal@sportingnews.com.
Sporting News staff reports
The Phillies got a double dose of bad news today, as they were forced to put second baseman Chase Utley (thumb) and third baseman Placido Polanco (elbow) on the 15-day disabled list.
According to the team’s website, there is no timetable for either player’s return. Utley’s injury was diagnosed as a sprain, but Polanco hinted that he might need surgery on his elbow after the season.
Utley is hitting .277 with 11 homers and 37 RBIs this season, but he has only one homer this month. Polanco, who already spent time on the disabled list this season because of the elbow, is batting .318 with five homers and 27 RBIs.
Sporting News staff reports
The Phillies got a double dose of bad news today, as they were forced to put second baseman Chase Utley (thumb) and third baseman Placido Polanco (elbow) on the 15-day disabled list.
According to the team’s website, there is no timetable for either player’s return. Utley’s injury was diagnosed as a sprain, but Polanco hinted that he might need surgery on his elbow after the season.
Utley is hitting .277 with 11 homers and 37 RBIs this season, but he has only one homer this month. Polanco, who already spent time on the disabled list this season because of the elbow, is batting .318 with five homers and 27 RBIs.
Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano has had a tempestuous first half of the baseball season, struggling to stay healthy and pitch to his previously established levels. On Friday, Zambrano went on an animated tirade directed at his teammates, in the dugout and in full view of television cameras. Zambrano has since been suspended by the team and his future with the organization is in doubt.
Fellow Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster joined ESPN Radio in Chicago with Waddle and Silvy to talk about Zambrano’s outburst. To listen to the interview, go to Sports Radio Interviews. Questions and responses have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Chicago Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster says he expects his suspended teammate, Carlos Zambrano, to return to the club this season.
Was Zambrano speaking in Spanish or English? What did he say?
Dempster: Both. He was upset. He was upset, he was mad, and he said something I’m sure he wished he didn’t say. We’ve moved past it and it’s been a couple days.
I know everybody in Chicago wants to keep rehashing, keep talking about it, but us as players we have just moved on. We’ll deal with whatever hurdles come next with Z coming back and we’ll move forward. You know, it was cool, we came out Saturday and played a good game, and then we came out yesterday and won a game. So we’re just focused on what we can do on the field and not let all that stuff get in the way of what we are trying to accomplish.
Is there a chance the other players won’t accept Zambrano if he comes back?
Dempster: You have to move on with those things. It would be a miserable year if you sit there and outcast one of your teammates like that. Like Ted Lilly said, we’ve all done things we have probably regretted and been forgiven for. We will handle it if and when it comes, and just go out there and make the best of the situation. We have to move forward; you can’t sit there and walk around with negative things hanging over your head. Unfortunately, it was kind of a black mark on what went on during the weekend. We just have to figure out the best way to move past it, and win ball games, and have fun, and rally around each other.
Does Dempster think Zambrano will regain the trust of his teammates?
Dempster: I think that’s up to him, right? When you do those things and react the way he did, you have to be the one to stand up and accept responsibility. I think he’s willing to do that, but we’ll wait and see. Like I said, I can’t make speculations because I don’t know what’s going to happen. Whatever happens happens, and we are just going to go out there and try to win the ball game tonight, and that’s really the only thing on our minds.
Did Dempster have a problem with Zambrano having dinner with Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen the night of the incident, after the game?
Dempster: No. If it was me, would I do it? No. But when you are away from the field, you can go hang out with whoever you want to go hang out with, and have dinner with whoever you want to eat with. I know they are very good friends away from the field and they talk a lot. They see each other a lot during the off season, so he is free to do whatever he wants. Those are judgments you have to make on your own, and you have to decide whether they are right.
I said if it was me I wouldn’t have done it, but that’s his choice. He did it, and it doesn’t bother me.
Does Dempster expect Zambrano to return to the Cubs this season?
Dempster: Yeah, for sure. I think that’s inevitable, right? I think that he’ll be back and I think he has to handle it in a certain way. I think that everybody would be crazy not to assume that he owes everybody an apology, and once we go from there I think you owe it to yourself to forgive your teammate and move past that. Just keep trying to plug forward and try to get to the playoffs is what we are trying to do here.
More from SRI
Brandon Jennings talks about the upcoming NBA season
Urban Meyer says he has to take better care of himself
Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano has had a tempestuous first half of the baseball season, struggling to stay healthy and pitch to his previously established levels. On Friday, Zambrano went on an animated tirade directed at his teammates, in the dugout and in full view of television cameras. Zambrano has since been suspended by the team and his future with the organization is in doubt.
Fellow Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster joined ESPN Radio in Chicago with Waddle and Silvy to talk about Zambrano’s outburst. To listen to the interview, go to Sports Radio Interviews. Questions and responses have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Chicago Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster says he expects his suspended teammate, Carlos Zambrano, to return to the club this season.
Was Zambrano speaking in Spanish or English? What did he say?
Dempster: Both. He was upset. He was upset, he was mad, and he said something I’m sure he wished he didn’t say. We’ve moved past it and it’s been a couple days.
I know everybody in Chicago wants to keep rehashing, keep talking about it, but us as players we have just moved on. We’ll deal with whatever hurdles come next with Z coming back and we’ll move forward. You know, it was cool, we came out Saturday and played a good game, and then we came out yesterday and won a game. So we’re just focused on what we can do on the field and not let all that stuff get in the way of what we are trying to accomplish.
Is there a chance the other players won’t accept Zambrano if he comes back?
Dempster: You have to move on with those things. It would be a miserable year if you sit there and outcast one of your teammates like that. Like Ted Lilly said, we’ve all done things we have probably regretted and been forgiven for. We will handle it if and when it comes, and just go out there and make the best of the situation. We have to move forward; you can’t sit there and walk around with negative things hanging over your head. Unfortunately, it was kind of a black mark on what went on during the weekend. We just have to figure out the best way to move past it, and win ball games, and have fun, and rally around each other.
Does Dempster think Zambrano will regain the trust of his teammates?
Dempster: I think that’s up to him, right? When you do those things and react the way he did, you have to be the one to stand up and accept responsibility. I think he’s willing to do that, but we’ll wait and see. Like I said, I can’t make speculations because I don’t know what’s going to happen. Whatever happens happens, and we are just going to go out there and try to win the ball game tonight, and that’s really the only thing on our minds.
Did Dempster have a problem with Zambrano having dinner with Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen the night of the incident, after the game?
Dempster: No. If it was me, would I do it? No. But when you are away from the field, you can go hang out with whoever you want to go hang out with, and have dinner with whoever you want to eat with. I know they are very good friends away from the field and they talk a lot. They see each other a lot during the off season, so he is free to do whatever he wants. Those are judgments you have to make on your own, and you have to decide whether they are right.
I said if it was me I wouldn’t have done it, but that’s his choice. He did it, and it doesn’t bother me.
Does Dempster expect Zambrano to return to the Cubs this season?
Dempster: Yeah, for sure. I think that’s inevitable, right? I think that he’ll be back and I think he has to handle it in a certain way. I think that everybody would be crazy not to assume that he owes everybody an apology, and once we go from there I think you owe it to yourself to forgive your teammate and move past that. Just keep trying to plug forward and try to get to the playoffs is what we are trying to do here.
More from SRI
Brandon Jennings talks about the upcoming NBA season
Urban Meyer says he has to take better care of himself
Media: Author James Andrew Miller, who’s working on a book about ESPN, says Erin Andrews is staying with the network, and USA Today reported Andrews has tentatively agreed to a new two-year deal. Miller tweets, "Erin Andrews will be staying at ESPN, and no, I didn’t get it from the network." Her current contract expires Thursday. "I interviewed Erin twice for the book. She loves sports too much to leave it behind for an all entertainment career," Miller continues. His book’s working title is "ESPN — Those Guys Have All The Fun."
NFL: Count Warren Sapp among those who think Albert Haynesworth needs to suck it up. (Via the D.C. Sports Blog) Sapp says, "Let’s stop the BS, like we like to say," Sapp told Vic Carucci and Howard Balzer on Sirius NFL Radio. "I mean, c’mon, son. You sat at the table. The people told you they had a very lovely check for you….Albert Haynesworth, you took the check, now show up to the job, son. It’s that simple. You take that kind of check. I mean, I’ll flip dogs for you. I mean, c’mon, what you want me to do, you want me to return punts? I mean, what? C’mon. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it."
Soccer: Seems news of a possible baby mama in Landon Donovan’s life wasn’t exactly breaking news for Donovan’s wife, Bianca Kajilich. A spokesman for the actress told the New York Post, "She was not blindsided by this and isn’t angry." Donovan and Kajilich are in the process of getting a divorce. Donovan said Sunday that he learned during the World Cup that a British woman is saying she is pregnant with his child and that he will take responsibility if that assertion is true.
MLB: New York Daily News scribe Bob Raissman has a take on the coverage of the YES Network and FOX’s coverage of Joe Torre’s first series against the Yankees that Fly completely agrees with: "Neither outlet covered itself with glory while chronicling this eventful series. Their coverage of the Torre story, the Dodger manager’s first encounter with the team he navigated to four World Series titles and 12 consecutive playoff appearances, was rancid." YES wouldn’t give Torre even the slightest nod, and FOX was all but genuflecting. Gag.
• Tweet of the day comes from Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Not to sound like Mike Krzyzewski, but this Atlanta Braves’ season feels ‘special.’ "
High school baseball: Not quite as juicy as the whole Tim Donaghy thing, but a former New York high school assistant baseball coach was among those swept up in an illegal betting dragnet, the New York Post reports. The team’s head coach isn’t named in the indictments, but former head coach Dennis Canale is also involved with nysportswager.com, which is run by the notorious Genovese family. Five mob-related gambling rings were part of the sweep. Both coaches left Xaverian because of the investigation.
Media: Author James Andrew Miller, who’s working on a book about ESPN, says Erin Andrews is staying with the network, and USA Today reported Andrews has tentatively agreed to a new two-year deal. Miller tweets, "Erin Andrews will be staying at ESPN, and no, I didn’t get it from the network." Her current contract expires Thursday. "I interviewed Erin twice for the book. She loves sports too much to leave it behind for an all entertainment career," Miller continues. His book’s working title is "ESPN — Those Guys Have All The Fun."
NFL: Count Warren Sapp among those who think Albert Haynesworth needs to suck it up. (Via the D.C. Sports Blog) Sapp says, "Let’s stop the BS, like we like to say," Sapp told Vic Carucci and Howard Balzer on Sirius NFL Radio. "I mean, c’mon, son. You sat at the table. The people told you they had a very lovely check for you….Albert Haynesworth, you took the check, now show up to the job, son. It’s that simple. You take that kind of check. I mean, I’ll flip dogs for you. I mean, c’mon, what you want me to do, you want me to return punts? I mean, what? C’mon. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it."
Soccer: Seems news of a possible baby mama in Landon Donovan’s life wasn’t exactly breaking news for Donovan’s wife, Bianca Kajilich. A spokesman for the actress told the New York Post, "She was not blindsided by this and isn’t angry." Donovan and Kajilich are in the process of getting a divorce. Donovan said Sunday that he learned during the World Cup that a British woman is saying she is pregnant with his child and that he will take responsibility if that assertion is true.
MLB: New York Daily News scribe Bob Raissman has a take on the coverage of the YES Network and FOX’s coverage of Joe Torre’s first series against the Yankees that Fly completely agrees with: "Neither outlet covered itself with glory while chronicling this eventful series. Their coverage of the Torre story, the Dodger manager’s first encounter with the team he navigated to four World Series titles and 12 consecutive playoff appearances, was rancid." YES wouldn’t give Torre even the slightest nod, and FOX was all but genuflecting. Gag.
• Tweet of the day comes from Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Not to sound like Mike Krzyzewski, but this Atlanta Braves’ season feels ‘special.’ "
High school baseball: Not quite as juicy as the whole Tim Donaghy thing, but a former New York high school assistant baseball coach was among those swept up in an illegal betting dragnet, the New York Post reports. The team’s head coach isn’t named in the indictments, but former head coach Dennis Canale is also involved with nysportswager.com, which is run by the notorious Genovese family. Five mob-related gambling rings were part of the sweep. Both coaches left Xaverian because of the investigation.
In most years, June is one of the rare months in which the NFL commissioner can relax a bit before another season ramps up. This year, Roger Goodell has a trio of thorny problems.
NFL commissioner implied Titans quarterback Vince Young won’t receive a suspension for the misdemeanor assault.
Trouble has found Titans quarterback Vince Young, Eagles quarterback Michael Vick and Lions president Tom Lewand, and in time Goodell must resolve each matter in accordance with the precedent he has set under the personal conduct policy.
Vince Young
On the surface, Young’s situation is simple: He was cited for misdemeanor assault after an incident at a Dallas strip club, and the availability of video suggests that Young will plead guilty or no contest to the charges.
Based on the precedents involving Cardinals linebacker Joey Porter, a first-time offender who was fined in the amount of a single game check after pleading no contest to misdemeanor assault in 2008, and another first-time offender, Jets receiver Braylon Edwards, who reportedly won’t be suspended after pleading no contest to misdemeanor assault arising from an October 2009 incident, Young likely will get a fine but no suspension.
Perhaps there’s a catch, though. When FoxSports.com reported that Goodell was unlikely to suspend Young, the league quickly clarified the remarks, explaining that Goodell said nothing about Young’s likely or unlikely fate. It’s possible the league chimed in because Goodell plans to use trouble-making quarterbacks for sending messages to the other players, just as many think Goodell did with Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Michael Vick
Vick apparently did nothing wrong in connection with the shooting at his 30th birthday party. Whether he had left the party before the shot rang out (the reports in this regard are conflicting), no one claims Vick had a role in the incident.
The problem arises from the fact the bullet hit Quanis Phillips, one of the co-defendants in the dogfighting case that landed Vick in federal prison. Vick’s probation requires him to steer clear of convicted felons, and Phillips’ presence at the party calls into question whether Vick ran afoul of his probation and/or his NFL reinstatement.
If the feds persuade a judge that Vick violated the terms of his probation, Goodell’s decision will be simple. Vick necessarily would be suspended because he’d be back in jail.
What if the feds do nothing? Under the precedent Goodell set in the Roethlisberger case, the league itself may investigate whether Vick ran afoul of the terms of his probation and, in turn, his reinstatement.
At this point, it’s too early to know how this will play out. But Steelers fans who continue to believe that Goodell unfairly made an example out of a starting quarterback who never was arrested will be paying close attention.
Update: Video calls Vick lawyer’s timeline into question
Tom Lewand
Over the past year, the league has dealt with a couple of situations involving non-players who have faced allegations of wrongdoing. Former Raiders defensive assistant Randy Hanson met with coach Tom Cable in August 2009 and left with a broken jaw. In May, Saints head coach Sean Payton was accused of abusing Vicodin, and assistant head coach Joe Vitt was accused of stealing it.
To date, the league has not punished any of them.
Lions president Tom Lewand’s drunk-driving arrest, on the other hand, compels swift and decisive action. Given that his blood-alcohol concentration was more than twice the legal limit and that he holds a lofty position within the organization, Lewand’s alleged misbehavior can’t be ignored.
But Lions owner William Clay Ford apparently plans to do so. If Goodell follows suit, he’ll face intense criticism from the players’ union.
In the end, each situation presents a different challenge for Goodell. And none of these cases would have arisen if Young, Vick and Lewand had learned from the examples provided by others.
Mike Florio writes and edits ProFootballTalk.com and is a regular contributor to Sporting News. Check out PFT for up-to-the minute NFL news.
In most years, June is one of the rare months in which the NFL commissioner can relax a bit before another season ramps up. This year, Roger Goodell has a trio of thorny problems.
NFL commissioner implied Titans quarterback Vince Young won’t receive a suspension for the misdemeanor assault.
Trouble has found Titans quarterback Vince Young, Eagles quarterback Michael Vick and Lions president Tom Lewand, and in time Goodell must resolve each matter in accordance with the precedent he has set under the personal conduct policy.
Vince Young
On the surface, Young’s situation is simple: He was cited for misdemeanor assault after an incident at a Dallas strip club, and the availability of video suggests that Young will plead guilty or no contest to the charges.
Based on the precedents involving Cardinals linebacker Joey Porter, a first-time offender who was fined in the amount of a single game check after pleading no contest to misdemeanor assault in 2008, and another first-time offender, Jets receiver Braylon Edwards, who reportedly won’t be suspended after pleading no contest to misdemeanor assault arising from an October 2009 incident, Young likely will get a fine but no suspension.
Perhaps there’s a catch, though. When FoxSports.com reported that Goodell was unlikely to suspend Young, the league quickly clarified the remarks, explaining that Goodell said nothing about Young’s likely or unlikely fate. It’s possible the league chimed in because Goodell plans to use trouble-making quarterbacks for sending messages to the other players, just as many think Goodell did with Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Michael Vick
Vick apparently did nothing wrong in connection with the shooting at his 30th birthday party. Whether he had left the party before the shot rang out (the reports in this regard are conflicting), no one claims Vick had a role in the incident.
The problem arises from the fact the bullet hit Quanis Phillips, one of the co-defendants in the dogfighting case that landed Vick in federal prison. Vick’s probation requires him to steer clear of convicted felons, and Phillips’ presence at the party calls into question whether Vick ran afoul of his probation and/or his NFL reinstatement.
If the feds persuade a judge that Vick violated the terms of his probation, Goodell’s decision will be simple. Vick necessarily would be suspended because he’d be back in jail.
What if the feds do nothing? Under the precedent Goodell set in the Roethlisberger case, the league itself may investigate whether Vick ran afoul of the terms of his probation and, in turn, his reinstatement.
At this point, it’s too early to know how this will play out. But Steelers fans who continue to believe that Goodell unfairly made an example out of a starting quarterback who never was arrested will be paying close attention.
Update: Video calls Vick lawyer’s timeline into question
Tom Lewand
Over the past year, the league has dealt with a couple of situations involving non-players who have faced allegations of wrongdoing. Former Raiders defensive assistant Randy Hanson met with coach Tom Cable in August 2009 and left with a broken jaw. In May, Saints head coach Sean Payton was accused of abusing Vicodin, and assistant head coach Joe Vitt was accused of stealing it.
To date, the league has not punished any of them.
Lions president Tom Lewand’s drunk-driving arrest, on the other hand, compels swift and decisive action. Given that his blood-alcohol concentration was more than twice the legal limit and that he holds a lofty position within the organization, Lewand’s alleged misbehavior can’t be ignored.
But Lions owner William Clay Ford apparently plans to do so. If Goodell follows suit, he’ll face intense criticism from the players’ union.
In the end, each situation presents a different challenge for Goodell. And none of these cases would have arisen if Young, Vick and Lewand had learned from the examples provided by others.
Mike Florio writes and edits ProFootballTalk.com and is a regular contributor to Sporting News. Check out PFT for up-to-the minute NFL news.
