Man Sues Mark Cuban, Carmelo Anthony, Jerry Buss & Jerry Reinsdorf
Hilarious
Jonathan Lee Riches is suing Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Denver Nuggets superstar Carmelo Anthony, Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss and Chciago Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf from his prison cell. Riches is not new to suing people as he has sued George Bush, Martha Stewart, Steve Jobs, Michael Vick, Lady Gaga and even Somali pirates in the past. In his suit he says
Carmelo Anthony told me he is going to kill me … I was his former boyfriend and we were in a sexual relationship in 2000.
Mark Cuban stole my credit cards and tried to buy the Texas Rangers with my money. Mark Cuban assaulted me serving ice cream at Dairy Queen.
Jerry Buss sold me Jeannie Buss on eBay and I was promised a Lakers janitor job when I get out of prison for less than minimum wage.
Obviously, these are all not true.
Golden Knights Parachuter Hung Up At Rangers Ballpark
Blame The Midges In Cleveland For This
A member of the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team got hung up on a flagpole during a jump into the ballpark before the baseball game between the Minnesota Twins and the Texas Rangers in Arlington last night. No one was injured and the team did an on-air television interview with the Rangers telecast.
Best Home Run Robbing Catch Ever
The best home run catch I’ve ever seen was back in 2006 when then Texas Rangers Gary Matthew’s Jr. stole a home run away from then Houston Astros Mike Lamb. That was until I saw this catch from Hiroshima Carp’s outfielder Masato Akamatsu. Watch as he totally goes Peter Park and Spidermans that ball.
Nolan Ryan Beats Mark Cuban In Auction For Texas Rangers
5,714 K's, 324 Wins, 7 No-Hitters & 2 Badass Beatings
Nolan Ryan’s group was the winning bidder in the sale of the Texas Rangers in an auction that spanned 10 hours. When Ryan’s group was announced as the winning bidder, the packed courtroom erupted in cheers and a standing ovation.
Ryan and his business partner, sports attorney Chuck Greenberg, won the team with a $593 million bid, including $385 million in cash, surviving the fierce bidding war with a group led by billionaire Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Houston businessman Jim Crane.
The Greenberg-Ryan group had Major League Baseball’s endorsement since being named the new team owners after last year’s original sale process and a story we posted for you on December 15. But the deal was stalled by angry creditors and then unexpectedly put in limbo by the team’s May bankruptcy filing. In the middle of the Rangers best season in years, Ryan attended nearly every bankruptcy hearing the past two months.
“It was an emotional roller-coaster,” a smiling Ryan said between hugs with colleagues and well-wishers in the courthouse. “You go to court one day and it didn’t go your way, but you go back another day and it would. It’s a relief.”
The much-anticipated auction started Wednesday afternoon, with the announcement that the Cuban-Crane bid was about $25 million more than the Greenberg-Ryan group’s offer, which was the starting bid. The stop-and-start showdown was delayed for hours by closed-door haggling over the complicated nature of each bid.
Despite losing, Cuban was smiling after the auction. His group dropped out of bidding after reaching a predetermined limit. Cuban, who also made an unsuccessful bid for the Chicago Cubs last year, said he wanted to buy the Rangers but remains an enthusiastic fan of the team and of Ryan.
“I wish them the best,” Cuban said, later ducking out a back door so television cameras and photographers would remain focused on Greenberg and Ryan, adding, “It’s their moment.”
Although the Cuban-Crane group had made a $390 million cash offer, part of a $598 million bid, the Greenberg-Ryan bid was considered higher because of how the bids were structured. Each group’s bid included $208 million of team debt – including $24.9 million in deferred compensation owed to Alex Rodriguez six years after he was traded to the New York Yankees.
Top creditors will only get about $75 million from the team. But the judge has said lenders, who are owed about $525 million after team owner Tom Hicks’ financially strapped ownership group defaulted on loans, can go after Hicks’ other companies.
Final approval of the Rangers sale rests with MLB, which is expected to wholeheartedly approve the deal next week before the Greenberg-Ryan group’s funding guarantee expires Aug. 12.
Texas Rangers Fan Face Pinned Against Fence
It was not a good day to be a fan at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington yesterday. First you had a fan fall 30 feet in the fifth inning then in top of the seventh this kids face get pinned against the fence chasing after the home run hit on Greene’s Hill.
But there where smiles to go around for everyone else though as the Rangers won 12-1.
Texas Rangers Fan Falls 30 Feet Over Railing
A fan fell from the 2nd deck at The Ballpark at Arlington after reaching for a foul ball during a game last night between the Rangers and the Cleveland Indians which delayed the game 16 minutes in the fifth inning. MLB.com reporter Anthony Castrovince tweeted,
“Latest on fallen fan: Transported to Ft. Worth hospital, responsive and can move all extremities. Fell 30 ft. from club level to lower bowl.”
The 4 fans that he fell on were reportedly fine and the The Rangers won 12-1 over the Indians. This is the second time a fan has fallen over a railing at the Rangers Ballpark, the first came in 1994 when a woman fell about 35 feet breaking an arm, two ribs and bones in her neck.
Houston Astros Geoff Blum Injured Putting On His Clothes
Just Curious Was It Button Or Pull Over?
Collecting baseball cards and being a baseball fan go hand and hand at some point in life of a fan of the game. But just as baseball cards and crackerjacks are synonymous with baseball so are the oddities that come along in injuries.
Houston Astros Geoff Blum is latest player to throw his hat into the circle when he went on the disabled list with an elbow injury when he tried to put on his shirt after a game last week. Blum heard a pop as he put on his shirt and later doctors found loose bodies floating around in his elbow.
This could summarize up the Astros season but the unusualness of the injury pales in comparison to Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Joel Zumaya in 2006 missed three games during the playoffs cause he suffered from an inflammation of his throwing wrist and forearm from playing the video game, Guitar Hero.
Or who could forget back in 2005 when Colorado Rockies infielder Clint Barmes was carrying a package of deer meat up a flight of stairs and slipped directly on his shoulder, breaking his collarbone, missing almost three months of the season.
Lets not forget in 2002 Marty Cordova of the Baltimore Orioles burning himself in a tanning bed when he fell asleep, causing him to miss the next few games because they where day games. The injuries even effect first ballot Hall of Famers like former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smothz who in 1990 tried to iron his shirt while still wearing it that created burns to his midsection.
Even shaking the hand of a major league pitcher can be a difficult task when back in 1986 Texas Rangers Charlie Hough shook hands with one of his teammates and locked his fingers in high-five that resulted in a broken finger for Hough.
The best probably belongs to Atlanta Braves outfielder Terry Harper who in 1981 was standing in the on-deck circle waving the runner in from third base and dislocated his shoulder.
The oddities of baseball injuries have not only effected those playing in stateside in Major League Baseball but even has reached Japan where Hanshin Tigers centerfielder Norihiro Akahoshi suffered a herniated neck disk in his sleep that would eventually end his career.
Once again baseball players need not only watch out for 95 mph fastballs coming towards their head or bodies but dreams, handshakes, kitchen knifes, irons, q-tips, and clothing.
Chicago Cubs vs Chicago White Sox Now Involves A Trophy
Punk Ass A.J.
The Texas Rangers play the Houston Astros for the Silver Boot Trophy, the New York Yankees play the New York Mets for advertising dollars and the St. Louis Cardinals play the Kansas City Royals for the Gateway to your heart series.
It seems the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox want a little more on the line than just bragging rights. The two teams announced the Chicago interleague rivalry will now be known as the BP Crosstown Cup and the team with the most wins in the yearly series will be formally awarded the rivalry’s namesake trophy. If the annual series is split 3-3, the BP Crosstown Cup will be awarded to the winner of the series last game.
“Cubs and Sox fans have always been passionate about this rivalry. The BP Crosstown Cup recognizes the excitement of winning the crosstown series,” said Chicago Cubs Executive Chairman Tom Ricketts. “In addition to bragging rights, fans will have a chance to win prizes through this promotion, which will make the series even more fun.”
The teams will kick off their first series of 2010 at Wrigley Field on Friday, June 11, and will celebrate their 75th meeting on Sunday, June 13. The BP Crosstown Cup trophy will be awarded in a formal ceremony at U.S. Cellular Field following the deciding game of the six-game series.
MLB Broadcaster Stops Plane Attack
You Need Me On That Plane!
Former Texas Rangers and Boston RedSox manager and current Tampa Bay Rays broadcaster Kevin Kennedy was among eight men who stopped a passenger who threatened to blow up their flight last night.
A Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles to Florida was diverted to Albuquerque after a passenger sprayed the first-class cabin with a water bottle, tried to open a cabin door and threatened to blow up the aircraft.
“When he started threatening bombs it was for real. I knew it was anyway. We all kind of looked at him. The guy next to me, he was saying ‘Hey buddy, let’s calm down here.’ We tried to talk him down but it wasn’t happening. It was actually getting worse,” Kennedy said.
Passengers on Delta flight 2148 to Tampa subdued Stanley Dwayne Sheffield. He was taken into federal custody after the plane landed. Sheffield was charged with interference with flight crew members and destruction of aircraft.
Congratulations to Kennedy and the other seven passengers who had a hand in stopping this lunatic but he still sucked as a manger though.
Minnesota Twins Orlando Hudson Thinks Racism Why Jermaine Dye Doesn’t Have Job
Is It As Easy As Black & White?
Minnesota Twins second baseman Orlando Hudson hints at that that some African-American Major League Baseball players are getting the blackballed treatment not for declining skills but because of their skin color.
“You see guys like Jermaine Dye without a job. Guy with [27 home runs and 81 RBIs] and can’t get a job. Pretty much sums it up right there, no? You’ve got some guys who miss a year who can come back and get $5, $6 million, and a guy like Jermaine Dye can’t get a job. A guy like Gary Sheffield, a first-ballot Hall of Famer, can’t get a job. We both know what it is. You’ll get it right. You’ll figure it out. I’m not gonna say it because then I’ll be in [trouble].”
Between the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities program and Urban Youth Academies, baseball has tried to resolve that gap between the sport and African-Americans. Compared to football and the stranglehold of basketball, baseball finishes a distant third. While the tremendous influx of upcoming African-American talent in the major leagues in recent years from Philadelphia Phillies Ryan Howard, Tampa Bay Rays Carl Crawford to Arizona Diamondbacks Justin Upton and Atlanta Braves Jason Heyward is a positive sign, it doesn’t eliminate the feeling that others have been mistreated.
While some will accuse Hudson of race baiting and paranoia, the reality is quite the opposite, he is taking public a concern that promotes discussion and forces MLB to be honest with itself.
However I don’t think it’s as clean or easy to explain Dye’s unemployment as a racist thing as it is to explain the context of financial realities in baseball. Has racism been a problem in baseball’s history? Of course it has, it’s been a problem throughout American history. It still exists today but figure into the equation that the market for aging sluggers with little defensive value is minimal and with the the free-agent market in the last 5 years shifted drastically away from older players at high cost.
Consider the former World Series MVP’s phone did ring in the offseason with Dye and his agent, Bob Bry, turning down offers from the Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers, and last week rejected an offer from the Washington Nationals.
In comparison aging outfielders with similar skill like Milwaukee Brewers Jim Edmonds and Seattle Mariners Mike Sweeney have jobs but it also has to do with they were willing to take $650K and Dye is not.
MLB.com lists 25 unsigned free agents. Of those 25, two are African-Americans, Dye and Sheffield. Dye is still sitting at home for similar the reason that Jarrod Washburn is and that’s unrealistic salary demands.
WTF: Milton Bradley
Skin Thin
I swear I think me and Mrs. Bradley are the only people in this guys corner. In Milton Bradley first visit back to Arlington, he decided to show the same fans that cheered him two seasons ago who is number one. Of course he heard the heckles of a few drunk fans that only see him as a Seattle Mariner now however not all in attendance wish ill will onto him. In his mind he thinks of himself as some sort of MLB bad guy and it looks as if he’s trying to play the part.
If this isn’t an act, which I doubt, I’m calling it a spade. Bradley isn’t a tough, FTW world type of guy he’s just soft skinned. Skin as thin as sheet of paper.
SGE Fantasy Baseball Preview: Outfield Part Deux
Sleeper Pick
It’s just 3 days away from Opening Day and its time for a bonus edition of the outfield position for those still to have their fantasy baseball draft this weekend. As stated in part one of the outfield rankings this is where you will find players who will gather the most points for you through out the season in five categories. Those categories being hitting for average/home runs/RBI’s/scoring runs and stealing bases. Guys like Cleveland Indians Grady Sizemore, St. Louis Cardinals Matt Holliday and Philadelphia Phillies Jayson Werth are the best at this and will be sure to be taken early so lets go deeper.
Breakout Player: Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates
- McCutchen surely will be on quite a few radars since he led all rookies with 47 extra base hits and showed plenty of speed on the bases paths. As with any sophomore there is the potential for a slump but McCutchen can rely on his legs to help avert long slumps. In 511 career minor league games he hit .286 and stole 105 bases and his 2010 numbers should resemble 100 runs, 20 home runs, 60 RBI’s and 30 stolen bases with a similar batting average to last year.
Sleeper Pick: Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies
- Can you be a sleeper pick if the Oakland Athletics where hesitant on trading you away for Matt Holliday, the answer is yes because he’s still 24 and has only 508 at bats under your belt. He has all the tools to rack up points in the five categories and is very similar to McCutchen in Pittsburgh. Gonzalez will have the benefit in playing in a hitter friendly home ball field but he is as equal threat on the base paths. See his 2010 numbers to reach about 25 steals, 18 home runs, 75 runs and 90 RBI’s.
Risky Player: Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers
- I can say this since I was on the come back Hamilton band wagon back in 2007 when the Cincinnati Reds gave him a chance in April. That success lead me to draft him far earlier than anyone would have anticipated in 2008 and he rewarded me with 32 home runs, 132 RBI’s and 190 hits but I watched as he hit a wall towards the end of the year when national jumped on his band wagon. I speak from watching 246 games of his before he became the 2009 spring training hot topic. Hamilton suffered more than one setback in 2009 when photos surfaced of him drinking and taking shots off women who weren’t Mrs. Hamilton. Then he endured a back injury that limited him to only 89 games. Can Hamilton repeat 2008, yes of course, but the back problem should be taken into account. I said he is of risk, not saying he’s undraftable.
Slipping Player: Alfonso Soriano, Chicago Cubs
- Soriano can thank Milton Bradley for being a Cub last year as if wasn’t for the disastrous season Milton had on and off the field, Alfonso would have taken the majority of the heat for his lackluster performance. One main reason for Soriano’s downfall over the years is injuries have plagued him and they have cut back his ability to steal bases and hit home runs which is what made him such a threat earlier on in his career. Soriano missed time in September with knee problems and add to the fact he has never been a selective hitter the evidence is showing its ugly head he is slipping. For the third year in a row his numbers in the runs, hits, home runs, RBI, stolen base, and hitting for average departments have been worst than the previous year.
President Obama To Throw First Pitch
Don't Bounce It
President Barack Obama will throw out the ceremonial first ball at the Washington Nationals opener, marking the 100th anniversary of a presidential pitch to start the season.
William Howard Taft first did it on April 14, 1910. This will be the 48th time a president has made an opening-day pitch in the nation’s capital. The Nationals open at home on April 5 against the Philadelphia Phillies.
“I am proud that President Obama will continue the long presidential tradition of throwing out the first pitch of opening day in Washington, D.C.,” baseball commissioner Bud Selig said.
Obama will have an experienced target, too: When he played in Texas, new Nationals catcher Ivan Rodriguez, a 14-time All-Star, twice caught ceremonial pitches from President George W. Bush, a former Rangers owner.
Obama threw out the first pitch at last year’s All-Star game in St. Louis, wearing a White Sox jacket. Noting that the Nationals host the White Sox this season for a three-game series June 18-20, Washington manager Jim Riggleman joked, “He’s going to be answering some tough questions about whether he’s a Nationals fan or a White Sox fan.”
Seattle Mariners Milton Bradley Thinks He’s Kannye West
I'm Really Happy For You & Gonna Let You Finish but
Yeah the headline isn’t a joke but as a Milton Bradley fan I seem to be laughing. Bradley who has had his run ins with everyone from umpires, TV announcers, mangers, the front office, the media, and even Chicago Cubs fans sees himself though in a different light.
“If I was a musician, I’d be Kanye West. If I was in the NBA, I’d be Ron Artest,” the 31-year-old former Montreal Expo, Cleveland Indian,Los Angeles Dodger,Oakland Athletic,San Diego Padre, Texas Ranger and Chicago Cub said. “In baseball, they’ve got Milton Bradley. I’m that guy. You need people like me, so you can point your finger and go, ‘There goes the bad guy.’”
“I had a teammate last year who said if I ever change, he’d kick my ass,” Bradley said. “So I’m not changing. Everybody is not going to love you, no matter how you treat other people, no matter what you say. I never say anything bad about anybody. Somebody is always going to have something bad to say about you.”
That maybe true in your eyes and I would let you finish but your no Mr. West, hell baseball had a Kanye before the world even knew who he was. That man is probably not happy a happy camper that he’s already been forgotten but Carl Everett was better.
You might want to charge a few TV announcers who rip you during a game, throw a bag full of baseballs onto the field, protests a call at first that leads to a season ending injury or just hide out in your Chicago crib and blame everyone in that town. That’s fine but will you ever tell the media that they never saw a dinosaur or a Tyrannosaurus rex so they never existed? Will you ever look a grown man in the face and say that someone did indeed see Adam and Eve, till then you are no Mr. Everett.
SGE Fantasy Baseball Preview: Shortstops
Sleeper Pick
I can feel it like the the sun burning up your neck on a hot August day, only 16 more days until Opening Day. Today’s rankings is the shortstop position where you will find a bulk of guys that will help in the stolen base and runs scored department. It’s often said that speed kills, this position has an abundance of it and guys that do it well. The best of the best at shortstop is hands down Florida Marlins Hanley Ramirez, Colorado Rockies Troy Tulowitzki and Philadelphia Phillies Jimmy Rollins buts lets go deeper.
Breakout Player: Elvis Andrus, Texas Rangers
- Andrus finished second among American League rookie of the year voting so don’t expect to wait around on him. His overall talents will have him on plenty of peoples radars but since he’s a great source for stolen bases and runs he might be on radars of the least expected. His on-base skills are very advance for a player who is just 21 years old. He had 125 stolen bases in just 407 minor league games, so even if he struggles at the plate, he will always have his speed. If the Rangers continue to have the offensive year they had last year expect Andrus do be crossing home plate sooner and often.
Sleeper Player: J.J. Hardy, Minnesota Twins
- This pick came down to Hardy and the guy who replace him back in Milwaukee, Alcides Escobar. I believe Escobar should have a good year along the baseballs but still a little leery on his chances of getting there, however its Hardy who I’m rolling with. He hit .156 in April with the Brewers and never recovered but Minnesota got a deal on Hardy when they traded for him after his terrible season. Plus he’s only 27 years old compared to last seasons Twins playoff run shortstop, Orlando Cabrera who is 35. Hardy is not your shortstop that will steal the bases instead he will hit for power and I look for him to get back to his track record of hitting 26 home runs in 2007 and 24 in 2008. He’ll come at a big discount because it will still be fresh on peoples minds that the Brewers optioned him to Class AAA at one point. Playing with a new team, in a new state, in a new stadium is all the things Hardy needs for that fresh start.
Risky Player: Jose Reyes, New York Mets
- Do I believe Reyes to be a great player? Yes. Is there more risk attached to him than ever before? Yes. I would rather watch him prove me wrong on someone else roster than ruining mine if things turned for the worse. The health of Reyes right hamstring is to troubling to ignore. He played in only 36 games last season and was set back again in October when he tore the same right hamstring that had him on the DL since May. I’m just siding with caution on this one.
Slipping Player: Marco Scutaro, Boston Red Sox
- I know Scutaro had his best season as a pro last year with the Toronto Blue Jays, setting career highs in every fantasy category but it came at the age of 33 and in Toronto. The pressure of playing in Boston will sure wear on someone who is more likely to revert back to his normal self and his usual run of 7 home runs and 40 RBI’s. His first five years of career are a better indication of his skills and his .260 average. He’s 34 and I don’t see him having a career like Casey Blake in getting a late start to it and staying consistent.
Be sure to come back for the preview of third base position.
SGE Fantasy Baseball Preview: Second Base
Sleeper Pick
Now just 17 days left until Opening Day and it’s not on to the next one its onto second base. On Sports Grind Entertainment we don’t say keeping it real, we say keeping it 100. I have to got to keep it 100 and tell you that I’ve had terrible luck at my second base position the last few years. I’ve been playing fantasy baseball since 1989 when I found an add in local Washington DC baseball magazine, so it’s not like I’ve never had anything of value at that position. However, it’s been since 2006 when I had a hunch about a rookie named Dan Uggla that I did any real damage with my second baseman. I’m determined to change that around this season though.
If your little iffy on my rankings here, I wont blame you. We all know the cream of the crop is Texas Rangers Ian Kinsler, Philadelphia Phillies Jimmy Rollins and Boston Red Sox Dustin Pedroia buts lets go deeper.
Breakout Player: Kelly Johnson, Arizona Diamondbacks
- Johnson had a decent rookie campaign in 2005 but then experienced an elbow injury that forced him to miss all of the 2006 season and change up his position altogether. He exceeded all expectations in 2007 but as the years moved on Johnson slowly fail out of favor with the Atlanta Braves. Now Johnson is in Arizona surround by a lineup that doesn’t mind just swinging for the fence. Could that mentality wear on him come July or August I’m taking the guess it does and we will see him have a breakout year. He possesses good power for a middle infielder and those poor numbers he had in Atlanta last season can be blamed in part on a wrist injury and the unlucky .249 on balls in plays. The injury and low numbers should definitely keep him under the radar.
Sleeper Player: Rickie Weeks, Milwaukee Brewers
- Weeks went down with a wrist injury in May that required season-ending surgery that took its toll on the Brewers until they finally traded for Felipe Lopez in late July. At the time of the injury, he was hitting well and was challenging for the lead in homes runs. Lopez is gone and its back to being all Weeks at second base. He is a batting-average risk with middle of the road power, so don’t take him to early but not many will be thinking about Weeks because of the injury. An injury free season could return big dividends.
Risky Player: Aaron Hill, Toronto Blue Jays
- I know people will read Hills name as being risky and say I’m crazy or no wonder I’ve been doing terrible at this position the last few years but its players like Hill that have put me into that spot. I can’t argue Hills 36 home runs or his 108 RBI’s from last season, it even earned him a spot on the ALL-SGE-MLB Team. But in his previous four seasons Hills highest total of home runs was 17 and his career high in the RBI department was 72. Hill last season wasn’t putting the ball on the ground much which could explain his drop in batting average. Another explanation could be that he an abnormally high 17% of his fly balls went for home runs. I don’t expect Hill to reach the 30 home run mark this season and his home run/ fly ball ratio should regress back to a more normal rate of 10%. It these kind of numbers that make me believe that Hill is a good pickup just a risky to take early or for an above average amount of cash. Don’t spend more than $15.
Slipping Player: Freddy Sanchez, San Francisco Giants
- I can’t take the batting title away from Sanchez but that was four years and numerous injuries ago. Sanchez just signed a two year extension with the Giants, so they have hopes that he will return to being an everyday player once he has recovered from shoulder surgery. Even then he won’t do much for you except hit for a decent average.
Be sure to come back tomorrow for the preview of the shortstop position.
Blackmailer Leads To Unearthing Of Texas Rangers Ron Washington’s Cocaine Use
Weezy!!!
Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington knew he used cocaine and so did the Rangers front office before the news hit their doorsteps yesterday. The Rangers where well aware of the situation because they had a blackmailer in house.
The blackmailer knew of the positive test on Washington and was making demands which the team has confirmed.
Back in July of 2009 Washington confessed o his bosses that he had used cocaine on the road in California after he took a random drug test. The Rangers then notified MLB immediately, who placed him in a mandatory confidential substance assistance program. Washington stay clean through the program as he continually passed several more random drug tests. A confidentiality thing between employee and boss would have made this to be never heard of except then came the blackmail threats.
A team employee knew and looked to cash in. The team employeewho was fired at the end of last seeason knew the details of the situation. He also had a list of demands for the club.
Some of the demands were met, but the Rangers declined to giving him a flowing recommendation and refused another item on the list. Sometime after January the former employee was putting Washington name in the streets of Arlington. Then all of sudden Washington received a call from SI.com saying they had all the details of his failed test and his enrollment into the drug program.
Questions remain should of Washington been fired in July when the Ranger found out? Some will say yes, I will say no especially since they employee a player who has been giving five chances after his addiction, Josh Hamilton. Manager or not a second chance is in order. If his record speaks that he should be fired then let his record do the talking.
Yes, Washington was on the hot seat last year but a funny thing started to happen the Rangers started to win and even with the Rangers knowing of the situation and watching their employee enrolled into a drug program administered by MLB awarded him with a contract extension.
Almost the entire team attended Washington’s media session as a show of support and that says something about how far his respect level has climbed within the Rangers. Especially Nolan Ryan who did not hire Washington and is now standing by the man he signed off on giving an extension to and even though knowing of his cocaine use.
Texas Rangers Manager Ron Washington Tested Positive For Cocaine
Weezy!!!
Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington tested positive for cocaine in a Major League Baseball-administered drug test SI.com reported today. Washington confirmed to SI that he did test positive.
The report also notes that he took the unusual step of informing MLB officials that it was possible he’d test positive before the test came back.
“I did make a mistake and I regret that I did it,” Washington said. “I am really embarrassed and I am really sorry.”
The Rangers held a team meeting this morning to discuss the matter before SI’s report went public. Just two years ago, Washington and other managers would not have been subject to testing. But as part of the recommendations made by the Mitchell Report in December 2007, baseball added testing for managers, coaches and clubhouse personnel.
Rangers general manager Jon Daniels told SI that Washington will keep his job after the manager made assurances he will not use the drug again.
“We asked a lot of questions and worked through Major League Baseball’s program, where Ron had appropriate consultation, support and testing. But for all the reasons we hired him in the first place, we felt and continued to feel that he’s the right guy to lead the club. He made a significant mistake. He also admitted to it and took steps to ensure that it won’t happen again.”
Washington tied for fourth in American League Manager of the Year voting in 2009 and has a career 241-245 record as manager of the Rangers.
Dallas Mavericks Rick Carlisle Uses Ping Pong Paddle Against Cancer
He Needs You
If your playing in your garage or at your local YMCA, you probably call it ping pong but if your an enthusiast like Rudy J you refer to it as table tennis. Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle also an avid player is using table tennis to raise money to fight a pancreatic cancer.
Carlisle who in the last 12 months watched as he lost two very good friends, former Detroit Pistons coach Chuck Daly, and Indiana Pacers co-owner Melvin Simon succumbed to the disease. Pancreatic cancer is the most under-screened, but most aggressive form of cancer there is. ‘When the director of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, called Carlisle about participating in a fund-raising event, he instantly raised his ping-pong paddle and wanted to do something different from the typical bowling or golf fundraisers.
If you had followed Sports Grind Entertainment for some time you are well aware that the fight against cancer is something that holds deeply to our heart. So if your in the Dallas weekend stop in on the Purple Ping Pong event on Sunday at SMU’s Moody Coliseum from 1-4 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids 12 and under. Ping-pong tables will be set up on the floor of Moody that will include numerous local table-tennis professionals and Olympians taking part in an invitational tournament in the center of the floor.
There will be 16 celebrity teams including J.J. Barea, Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Caron Butler. Former Rangers Jim Kern and Jeff Russell will participate, as will Olympic gold-medal winning gymnast Nastia Luiken and Carly Patterson.
MLB To Begin Testing For HGH
Est. 1869
Major League Baseball plans to implement blood testing for human-growth hormone (HGH) later this year on minor league players.Human growth hormone is already banned under the Joint Drug Program but do not test currently for HGH, because no scientifically validated test exists. The program calls for immediate and automatic implementation of testing for HGH once a scientifically validated test is available.
The Minor League Drug and Treatment Program is far more stringent than its MLB counterpart due to negotiations that need to take place with the union for the players. Just this week, new tests for additional PEDs and stimulants were added to the MLB program that makes it far closer to a WADA-based program than MLB’s.
Bud Selig plans to use the same blueprint with HGH and move to get the union’s approval to test on the major league level. Michael Young of the Texas Rangers, Bronson Arroyo of the Cincinnati Reds and Derrek Lee and Ryan Dempster of the Chicago Cubs said they welcome the policy.
The disclosure that Major League Baseball will begin testing in the minor leagues this year prompted the player unions for the NFL to issue a statement that they remained skeptical about the efficacy of current testing. The NFL Players Association said it looked forward to discussing with the league its proposed blood-testing program.
The plans to move forward on the testing comes one day after a British rugby player Terry Newton was suspended for two years after testing positive for HGH.
Vladimir Guerrero Signs With Texas Rangers
Don't Expect Him To Be Using That Glove Anymore
The Texas Rangers have signed Vladimir Guerrero to a one year contract worth $5.5 million with a mutual option for 2011. Guerrero is expected to give all his time as a designated hitter and hopes to help the Rangers improve their run production which took a dip after leading the MLB in 2008. Guerrero battled through the 2009 season to hit .295 with 15 home runs. Despite landing on the disabled list twice.
Despite never calling Arlington home Vlad always batted like he owned the place in 193 career at-bats in Rangers Ballpark, Guerrero has hit .394 with a .471 on-base percentage and 14 home runs which the Rangers are banking he will continue to do at the Rangers Ballpark.
Guerrero, 35, will not provide any luxury to the outfielders in need of a day off and his body has shown it is in the process of breaking down. No longer is he expected to play 162 but with hope of just making it the 100 game plateau so I understand for the need of the bat but wouldn’t have Jermaine Dye be a more valuable option and if bargain hunting was what the Rangers where after then maybe they could have made a real offer to former Ranger Andruw Jones.
Being a Guerrero Stan since he began his career with the Montreal Expos, it’s hard for me to say what I said about Vlad but it needed to be said.
In related Ranger news they have botched another signing by agreeing to a one year contract with former St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Khalil Greene worth 750,000 dollars. Greene struggled in 77 games for the Cardinals last season, hitting .200 with just 6 home runs and spent time on the disabled list with social anxiety disorder.
Don’t ever expect to find him competing for a spot in the everyday lineup and set the bar low if looking if using Greene as platooner.
Darren Oliver Signs With Texas Rangers
Diamond Stud
The Texas Rangers have signed left-handed reliever Darren Oliver a $3.5 million one year deal, the deal includes a 2011 option. Oliver has had four consecutive successful seasons pitching rather well out of the pen, the last three of which in Los Angeles Angeles of Anaheim posting a 5-1 record with an ERA of 2.71 in 73 innings.
After failing as a starter in the beginning of his career, to the point that he spent all of 2005 in the minors, Oliver has re-invented himself as a very good reliever. Not only his ERA but his component rate states are significantly better in shorter stints out of the pen. Texas gains by both adding an effective reliever as well as taking an effective player from the Angels who continue to see parts of their division winning squad depart for their rivals.
Nolan Ryan & Chuck Greenberg Group Picked For Texas Rangers Sale
Est. 1972
The people of the Dallas-Forth Worth metroplex and Texas Rangers fans maybe getting their wish of owner Tom Hicks getting rid of the Rangers very soon. Earlier today Rangers owner Hicks announced the Greenberg/Ryan group as the exclusive bidders in the sale of the Rangers.
Hicks will ask Major League Baseball to approve his decision to grant exclusive rights to negotiate the sale of the Texas Rangers to an investment group that includes legendary pitcher and current Rangers president Nolan Ryan and renowned Pittsburgh sports attorney Chuck Greenberg. The announcement means the two sideswill now have the next thirty days to complete the sale for then MLB ownership approval.
Greenberg’s group consists of Dallas-Fort Worth investors and has plans to have the Hicks family retain a significant investment in the club and that Ryan will remain President of the Club.
Hicks purchased the Rangers in 1998 in an ownership group that was headed by George W. Bush, Tom Schieffer and Rusty Rose. The Rangers won two division titles in Hicks’ first two years, but have had just two winning seasons this decade. The Rangers were 87-75 this past season.
Pudge Rodriguez Signs With The Washington Nationals
Best I've Ever Seen
The Washington Nationals came to terms with free agent Ivan Rodriguez on a two year deal worth 6 million dollars. Rodriguez will be a leader in the clubhouse and mentor to the leagues youngest pitching staff.
The potential Hall of Famer also will serve every-day duties for the first month or two of the season, until Jesus Flores is fully recovered from shoulder surgery, and then will mentor Flores.
Rodriguez, 38, last year passed Carlton Fisk for the career record in games caught. He has won 13 Gold Gloves, been to 14 All-Star Games and is a career .299 hitter. Rodriguez, the 1999 AL MVP, is also the all-time leader in games started at catcher and total chances and putouts at the position and is tied with Gary Carter for sixth all-time in home runs as a catcher with 298.
Rodriguez served as a backup for the Rangers after being acquired from the Astros in August. He played in a combined 121 games and hit .249 with 10 home runs and 47 RBIs.
Washington catchers last year hit .250 with a .310 on-base percentage and 121 strikeouts.
