Mariano Rivera Injury Made Fun By Teammates
No Mo Zone
“Nothing’s going to change. I’m going to do what I love to do. And yes, I will. I got hurt like this. I might go to the same spot where I landed, where I was. But I’m going to enjoy it. It’s nothing to regret. Nothing to regret.”
That’s what Mariano Rivera told reporters a day before returning to Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., where his 2012 season ended due to a devastating knee injury suffered while shagging fly balls during warmups. But this time when Rivera walked to the warning track, he found a special surprise waiting for him.
MLB Predictions
Est. 1869
What’s lies ahead in the 2013 Major League Baseball season, well no one knows for sure but Opening Day is upon us and it’s time to roll out a few predictions. If you happened to listen to our live show this past week then you already heard those predictions.
Enjoy opening day, enjoy the season. I know I will.
American League East winner: Tampa Bay Rays
American League Central winner: Detroit Tigers
American League West winner: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
American League Wild-Card winner: Oakland Athletics
American League Wild-Card winner: Kansas City Royals
American League Pennant winner: Tampa Bay Rays
National League East winner: Washington Nationals
National League Central winner: Cincinnati Reds
National League West winner: San Francisco Giants
National League Wild-Card winner: Milwaukee Brewers
National League Wild-Card winner: Philadelphia Phillies
National League Pennant winner: Washington Nationals
American League Rookie of the Year: Wil Myers, Tampa Bay Rays
National League Rookie of the Year: Jedd Gyorko, San Diego Padres
American League Manger of the Year: John Farrell, Boston Red Sox
National League Manager of the Year: Bo Porter, Houston Astros
American League MVP: Yoenis Cespedas, Oakland Athletics
National League MVP: Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies
American League Cy Young Award: Yu Darvish, Texas Rangers
National League Cy Young Award: Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals
Former MLB player Jai Miller to play football at Alabama
Big Pickup
Outfielder Jai Miller, who had brief stints with three major league clubs, has decided to quit baseball so he can play college football for Alabama, AL.com reports.
Miller, who committed to play football at Stanford out of high school, instead signed with the Florida Marlins after being selected in the fourth round of the 2003 MLB Draft. He played in more than 1,000 minor league games from 2003 to 2012, hitting .239/.326/.397 with 137 home runs and 125 stolen bases.
But his major league career was limited to 28 games over three seasons with the Marlins, Kansas City Royals and Oakland A’s. During his 2011 stint with the A’s, Miller went 3-for-12 with a homer and two RBIs after being called up in September.
He was traded to the Baltimore Orioles before last season, but hit just .196 over 312 at-bats in the minors and never got called up.
The 27-year-old native of Selma, Ala., is expected to start out playing safety for Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide squad, AL.com reports.
“I think the desire was there on both sides to get him back into football and see what he’s capable of doing,” Miller’s brother-in-law, Matthew Elliott, told BamaOnline.com. “If the opportunity is there for him to play professional ball, then the best situation for him would be to play for one of the best coaches in the game and that would be coach Saban on the defensive side.”
Miller was heavily recruited as a wide receiver out of high school, landing offers from Alabama, Auburn and Georgia Tech in addition to Stanford. He also was a top basketball player and was expected to be a combo guard for the Cardinal hoops team.
Torii Hunter Delivers Popeye’s Chicken To A’s Fans
Love That Chicken From Popeye's
The best seat at the Oakland Coliseum just may be section 149 in the right field bleachers. Those fans are sometimes treated with free food, courtesy of major leaguers.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim right fielder Torii Hunter made good on a promise and delivered six boxes of Popeye’s chicken to the section during Wednesday’s game. Hunter promised the right-field fans that he’d buy them chicken two years ago if they stopped heckling him. He finally delivered.
Hunter isn’t the only one to deliver to the fans of section 149 as in April, Kansas City Royals’s Jeff Francouer had several pizzas delivered to the fans on the second annual “Bacon Tuesday” with a note reading “keep makin’ bacon.”
Roy Oswalt Unhappy With Bullpen Role
Not A Team Player?
Former starting pitcher-turned-reliever Roy Oswalt is not ready to reinvent himself.
“I’m a starter,” Texas Rangers’ Oswalt told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I’m not really a bullpen guy.”
Oswalt made his second appearance as a reliever with Texas on Sunday and pitched two scoreless innings. But he declined to go out for a third inning after just 30 pitches in the Rangers loss to the Kansas City Royals.
“He said he couldn’t go any further,” manager Ron Washington said. “He said he had enough.”
General manager Jon Daniels said:
“Roy prefers to start. We had a call to make and we did what we thought was best for the club. As we all know things can change. Right now we’re happy with the way things are set up but we understand his point of view.”
Oswalt was demoted to the bullpen July 31 after the Rangers acquired Ryan Dempster at the trade deadline. He didn’t take the decision kindly.
“Well, I mean we’re 4-2 in the games I started. I guess I should’ve been 6-0,” Oswalt said. “Two bad ones and won four of them so … I don’t know. We’ll see how it goes.
“It wasn’t my decision. I’m down there to throw when they need me, I guess.”
Oswalt made his first relief appearance of the season Thursday against the Angels. He was not available to repond after the game on Sunday.
Humberto Quintero Makes Slanted Eyes Gesture
Poor Taste
Kansas City Royals pitcher Bruce Chen found himself on the wrong end of a crude and racist gesture on Saturday night as teammate and catcher Humberto Quintero approached him during an interview and made the “slanted eyes” action behind his back.
Chen, a native Panamanian of Chinese descent, was just starting to chat with Fox’s Kenny Albert and Tom Verducci in the bottom of the fourth inning in Pittsburgh when Quintero, a native of Venezuela, approached from behind and made the gesture.
Chen told the Kansas City Star on Sunday that he was not offended by Quintero’s move:
Mariano Rivera Injures Knee Shagging Fly Balls
Not The Way A Hall Of Famer's Career Should End
New York Yankees and Major League Baseballs all-time leading closer Mariano Rivera tore a ligament in his right knee shagging fly balls before the team played the Kansas City Royals.
The 42-year-old right-hander was carted off the field after twisting his right knee. Baseball’s career saves leader was tracking down a ball hit by Jayson Nix in deep center field when his right knee appeared to buckle a step before the wall. He fell to the warning track and immediately grabbed his right knee, briefly covering his face with his glove and grimacing in pain.
You can view the incident HERE.
Kansas City Royals Fan Reads A Book During Game
Funny how on yesterdays show I called out Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost as possibly being the first manager to get the axe in the 2012 MLB season. Then I saw this, a Royals fan paying more attention to the book he is reading rather than the game against the Toronto Blue Jays in front of him.
3-14
Being a huge baseball fan I acknowledge the fact that baseball moves at a speed that you can knock out a few chapters of a good book, in fact I’m guilty of it. However the perception of this fan sitting in $300 seats and the fact the Royals haven’t won a home game yet this season is hard to overlooked.
The 10 loses the Royals have suffered at home to start the MLB season is the worse in baseball since 1913.
little Tommy Runs Onto Field During Chicago White Sox Game
Epidemic On The Horizon?
Six year old little Tommy fan ran onto the U.S. Cellular Field during the Baltimore Orioles-Chicago White Sox game on Thursday. little Tommy came over the wall and made a dash for the outfield during the seventh inning of the Orioles 5-3 win and was quickly scooped up by White Sox outfielder Dayan Viciedo. Viciedo then turned the child over to stadium security.
Comcast SportsNet Chicago, briefly ignoring a general broadcast embargo against showing fans on the field so as not to inspire the masses, captured it on tape.
In the end, little Tommy and his family were ejected from the ballpark per MLB rules and no charges will be pursued. Viciedo told the Chicago Tribune that his first instinct was to grab the boy because he was afraid that he’d be hit by a ball.
This is the same field and stadium that in 2002 saw Kansas City Royals first base coach Tom Gamboa attacked by William Ligue Jr and his then teenage son, who was found to have a knife on him. Gamboa was badly beaten and suffered permanent hearing loss.
MLB Predictions
Est. 1869
What’s lies ahead in the 2012 Major League Baseball season, well no one knows for sure but Opening Day is upon us and it’s time to roll out a few predictions. If you happened to listen to our live show this past week then you already heard six segments of in depth breakdown in each division of each league but here is a cheat sheet to those predictions.
Should be an interesting year with another added Wild Card team to the postseason mix and one can only hope this season has a magical finish like last year. Enjoy opening day, enjoy the season. I know I will.
American League East winner: New York Yankees
American League Central winner: Detroit Tigers
American League West winner: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
American League Wild-Card winner: Tampa Bay Rays
American League Wild-Card winner: Kansas City Royals
American League Pennant winner: Tampa Bay Rays
National League East winner: Washington Nationals
National League Central winner: Cincinnati Reds
National League West winner: Los Angeles Dodgers
National League Wild-Card winner: Miami Marlins
National League Wild-Card winner: San Francisco Giants
National League Pennant winner: Los Angeles Dodgers
American League Rookie of the Year: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
National League Rookie of the Year: Drew Pomeranz, Colorado Rockies
American League Manger of the Year: Buck Showalter, Baltimore Orioles
National League Manager of the Year: Davey Johnson, Washington Nationals
American League MVP: Albert Pujols, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
National League MVP: Justin Upton, Arizona Diamondbacks
American League Cy Young Award: James Shields, Tampa Bay Rays
National League Cy Young Award: Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies
George Brett Sued For False Advertising
Hope This Doesn't Flare Up Those Hemorrhoids Again
Lawyers are seeking class-action status for a lawsuit that claims Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame slugger George Brett has been falsely advertising bracelets and necklaces as being able to help improve health and sports performance.
A lawsuit filed Monday in federal court in Des Moines claims Spokane Valley, Wash.-based Brett Bros. Sports International, Inc. has falsely claimed the products help customers relieve stiffness, recover from sports fatigue and improve focus.
An Iowa man, Seth Thompson of Adel, says he bought one of the necklaces at the College World Series in Omaha but did not receive any of those benefits.
His lawyers are asking a federal judge to approve a class-action lawsuit on behalf of all customers who have bought the products in the last four years.
Win Or Lose, Arthur Rhodes To Get A World Series Ring
Cant Lose
Win or lose, St. Louis Cardinals reliever Arthur Rhodes will receive a World Series ring either way. That’s because Rhodes pitched for the Texas Rangers before being released on August 8. Three days later, he signed a free-agent deal with the Cardinals.
“I was disappointed when the Rangers released me because I was happy with my role there and they are a good team,” Rhodes told Yahoo! Sports. “But you’ve got to keep your head up. I was really happy to sign with the Cardinals, and now, here we are.”
Rhodes, who will turn 42 on Monday, is in his 20th major league season but in his first World Series. Asked about the possibility of getting a ring as a member of the losing team in the World Series, Rhodes didn’t hesitate.
“Yeah, you gotta take the ring, man,” he told Yahoo! Sports.
The Rangers are paying all but $100,000 of his $1.2 million salary to pitch against them. A similar situation occurred last season when Bengie Molina, traded from the San Francisco Giants to the Rangers during the season, faced his former teammates in the World Series. Molina still got a ring from the Giants, even though his Rangers lost.
The only other player to play in a World Series against a team he played for during the regular season was Lonnie Smith in 1985, when he was traded from the St. Louis Cardinals to the eventual World Series-champion Kansas City Royals.
Carlos Carrasco Suspended For 6 Games
you Don't Throw At The Head
Cleveland Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco has been suspended six games and fined for throwing at Kansas City Royals Billy Butler’s head. Carrasco was ejected in the fourth inning of Friday night’s game after he fired a ball at Butler’s head. Carrasco had just given up a grand slam to Melky Cabrera and took out his frustration on Butler, who managed to avoid the rising fastball.
The Indians said Monday that Carrasco will appeal his suspension and undisclosed fine and plans to start Wednesday night in Boston. Carrasco acknowledged he was upset that Cabrera stood at home plate and admired his homer, but denied the pitch to Butler was intentional.
Ozzie Guillen Is Pissed Again
Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen delivered yet another a profanity-laced tirade to media members following his team’s 2-1 loss to the Kansas City Royals in extra innings. Guillen was also hit in the eye with a foul ball in the eighth inning, which resulted in there being a noticeable bump on his face during the interview.
The White Sox currently sit in third place in the American League Central, 4.5 games back from the division leading Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers.
Click the image arrow to see Guillen hit by the foul ball.
Cirque du Soleil Performer Throws Out First Pitch At San Diego Padres Game
I know the performers at Cirque du Soleil are a little above the average man but they can’t be all that better than professional NBA players can they? Check out this Cirque du Soleil performer throw out the first pitch for the San Diego Padres in their game against the Kansas City Royals last night. In dramatic fashion he still managed to throw it down the middle over homeplate.
Dallas Mavericks Dirk Nowitzki and Washington Nationals John Wall are not impressed.
Los Angeles Angels Of Anaheim Plane Makes Emergency Landing
Angels In The Outfield
A charter flight carrying members of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim flying home from an away game against the Kansas City Royals made an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport Wednesday after reporting a mechanical problem. An airport spokeswoman said the Delta Air Lines Inc. plane with some 60 people aboard landed shortly after 9 p.m. TV footage showed passengers calmly exiting the plane onto the tarmac as fire trucks waited nearby.
“Nothing like an emergency landing at LAX to scare the crap out of us…good to be home,” Angels TV announcer Victor Rojas said.
Mama Margie’s Major Meltdown: Vin Mazzaro
Vin Mazzaro
Every Thursday Sports Grind Entertainment will present you with the Mama Margie’s Major Meltdown. The recipient of this honor goes to Kansas City Royals pitcher Vin Mazzaro Pity who tried his best to eat innings Monday night but found himself being knocked around by Cleveland Indians hitters in a 19-1 defeat. Mazzaro absorbed the brunt of the damage against the Indians, surrendering 11 hits and 14 runs in 2 1/3 innings at Kauffman Stadium. After the game he was demoted to Triple A Omaha. According to Elias Sports Bureau, Mazzaro became the first pitcher in modern history to give up 14 runs in less than three innings and the first relief pitcher to cough up 14 runs in a game since Tommy Warren of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1944. He’s the fifth reliever to be charged with 14 earned runs, first since Les McCrabb in his only appearance of the season for the 1942 Philadelphia Athletics.
Colorado Rockies Grounds Crew Member Falls Under Tarp
This is a Colorado Rockies grounds crew member that was trying to do his job when suddenly rains poured into the city of Denver and halted their game against the New York Mets. However he was unable to finish his job as he was eaten by the field tarp just like the grounds crew member in Kansas City.
This year that makes tarp 2, crew members 0.
Kansas City Royals Grounds Crew Member Falls Under Tarp
What is it with the rain tarps and the connection to Kansas City? First it was Vince Coleman who was lost for the 1985 World Series after he was eaten up by a tarp and now this grounds crew member of the Kansas City Royals that undoubtedly will be made fun of by his coworkers for the rest of the year.
Former West Virgina Football Great Pat White Gives Up Baseball Career Too
White Out Of The League Part Deux
Back on september 19, 2010, we posted the report that former West Virginia quarterback and all around school record holder was giving up his dreams of playing any further in the NFL after being cut by the Miami Dolphins. White having been a baseball standout all throughout high school and being picked multiple times in the MLB Amateur Draft, went on to sign a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals.
After spending just a short while in the Royals minor league system the former Mountaineer quarterback has decided to ended his pursuit of a career in baseball. He participated in the Arizona Instructional League and was assigned to the Burlington Royals but found hitting a curveball even in the minor league level was no easy task.
White led the Mountaineers to four consecutive bowl victories while running for 5,576 yards and passing for over 6,000 in his Mountaineer career.
Kansas City Royals Joakim Soria Wants To Drop Mexicutioner Nickname
How About Just Awesome
Kansas City Royals closer Joakim Soria has a nickname he wants no part of because the negative connotation “The Mexicutioner” has at this particular time due to the drug violence racking ripping apart his homeland of Mexico. Soria, who is from Monclova in the northern state of Coahuila, saved 43 games in 46 opportunities last season and for the second time in two years was selected to the All-Star game. The nickname originated in 2008 when Soria saved 42 games and “The Mexicutioner” T-shirts were sold in Kansas City. Soria did not shy away from the nickname in the beginning, but with the increased violence in Mexico wants to shed it this season.
Soria pointed out that Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman have no nicknames and he has no preference for a new one.
“Calling me the Mexicutioner, that’s a bad thing. In a baseball way, it’s not that bad. Really, it’s a great thing. But I want to support my people. It’s been really bad in Mexico right now. There are a lot of guns in Mexico. It’s out of control right now. If I can change the mindset of the people, change the nickname or just take it out. It’s not a big deal. I think it’s a smart move. I think about my people.”
Kansas City Royals Jason Kendall Goes After Reporter
Don't Get Mad Your On The Brink Of Retiring
Once upon a time Kansas City Royals catcher Jason Kendall was a pretty damn good player as he hit for average, he got on base, some extra base power, and for a few years, he was even a good base stealer. All this was made even more valuable since he’s a catcher these days it’s a different story for the soon to be 37 year-old Kendall as he’s more a veteran presence, or so-called clubhouse guy.
Kendall took exception to Nick Wright of 610 AM questioning Royals prospect Mike Moustakas about the possibility of him starting the year in the minor leagues and that’s when Kendall jumped in with a Ryan Leaf moment.
“There’s a decent chance that no matter how well you do this Spring Training, you might still start the year off in the minors just because of Baseball’s rules and wanting to hold on to eligibility, all that stuff. Do you think about that?” Wright asked.
“No, he wants to stay in the minor leagues all fucking year,” Kendall said, interrupting the Moustakas interview. “Are you shitting me right now?”
After the two exchanged words, Kendall told Wright to “rewind” himself.
Click HERE to listen to the audio.
San Francisco Giants Jose Guillen Linked To HGH
Postseason Stats: .000 0 0
San Francisco Giants outfielder Jose Guillen, who was left off the teams postseason roster, is now linked to a federal investigation into shipments of performance-enhancing drugs. This has lead many to question whether he was left off because the Giants knew of the investigation and not because his lingering neck injuries and his ineffectiveness down the stretch.
Federal authorities told Major League Baseball they were looking into shipments of human growth hormone, allegedly sent to Guillen’s wife in the Bay Area just before the postseason began.
The 34-year-old Guillen has been tied to performance-enhancing drugs before. In 2007 he allegedly purchased more than $19,000 worth of HGH, steroids and other drugs from the Palm Beach Rejuvenation Center between May 2002 and June 2005. MLB suspended Guillen for 15 days following the as part of a deal between players and owners to toughen the sport’s drug rules.
Guillen was suspended by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for the last two weeks of the 2004 regular season and postseason for inappropriate conduct after expressing his displeasure with manager Mike Scioscia. After the year, Guillen was traded to the Washington Nationals.
In July 2008, Guillen got into a heated clubhouse exchange with Kansas City Royals pitching coach Bob McClure, knocking over chairs before several players separated them before a game at Tampa Bay. Guillen also unleashed a profanity-filled tirade against his teammates that May.
Jay Reisinger, Guillen’s attorney, declined comment in an e-mail.
Still without his contributions the San Francisco beat the Texas Rangers 9-0 on Thursday night for a 2-0 lead in the World Series.
Former NFL QB Pat White To Give Baseball A Try
White Out Of The League
After a failed experiment in the NFL, former Miami Dolphins quarterback Pat White will try his hand at professional baseball. White, who was cut by Miami last weekend, signed a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals. The former West Virginia star has been picked multiple times in the MLB Amateur Draft, most recently by the New York Yankees in 2009.
Since his release came in the last round of cuts and his 13 appearances last season make him ineligible for a practice squad spot, White generated “no interest” in the free agent market. The 24-year-old still plans to pursue a career in the NFL in 2011, and the Royals will show some flexibility to see that he has that option.
The Dolphins drafted White 44th overall in 2009, thinking his athleticism and versatility would make him a great addition to the team’s unique Wildcat offense. However, White struggled to adjust to the professional game and was rarely used outside the formation.
White was a baseball standout all throughout high school, but turned down a six-figure salary offer from the Anaheim Angels to play college football at West Virginia.
