Hottest they’ve been all season: Small fire starts at Dodger Stadium

Sun May 29 06:48am EDT

Hottest they’ve been all season: Small fire starts at Dodger Stadium

By Ian Casselberry

Sing it with me: The roof! The roof! The roof is on fire!
Thousands might have dusted off that old-school hit at Dodger Stadium on Saturday night as it appeared that the roof literally was on fire in the right-field upper deck. Smoke began billowing into the seating area of the ballpark during the fifth inning of the Los Angeles Dodgers' 6-1 loss to the Florida Marlins.
Thousands of fans were moved from the affected sections and relocated to another part of the stadium. (As L.A. Times reporter Steve Dilbeck pointed out, there were plenty of empty sections to move to, with an announced crowd of 29,971 on hand.)
No one was evacuated from the park, but some reportedly suffered from smoke irritation. The smoke wafted from the upper tiers of the ballpark down to the lower levels, and eventually reached center field. Marlins outfielder Chris Coghlan(notes) definitely noticed something wrong in the air.
From the Palm Beach Post:

"I could smell that smoke and I was like, 'That ain't a hot-dog stand.' Then I saw this huge puff and I said, 'Oh, my God, this place is on fire and we're still playing,' " [he] said.

No, it wasn't a hot dog stand ablaze.
According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the fire originated from a small warehouse below the reserved level. Officials on the scene said a small fire of paper products was the cause of the smoke, and was put out by firefighters in 20 minutes.
The stadium's public address announcer informed the crowd of the situation during the sixth inning, assuring them that the fire was under control and there was no need to evacuate the ballpark.
Ultimately, it was yet another bizarre incident in a season full of off-the-field embarrassment for the Dodgers.

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Related: Chris Coghlan, Florida Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Ballpark Mischief

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Carlos Gomez stays grounded on inside-the-park home run

Sun May 29 03:58am EDT

Carlos Gomez stays grounded on inside-the-park home run

By David Brown

Carlos Gomez(notes) of the Milwaukee Brewers hit that rarest of home runs against the San Francisco Giants on Saturday afternoon: The ground-ball variety.
In the bottom of the first inning, Gomez lined a ball that first bounced about 50 feet from home plate, skipped just inside the first-base bag and down the right-field line and — here's the key part — under the glove of outfielder Cody Ross(notes) and into the corner.
By the time Ross retrieved the ball in deep right, Gomez was about to round third at full speed, and was being waved home by coach Ed Sedar. Ross overshot the cutoff man and Gomez slid safely without a relay throw for an apparent inside-the-park homer.
However, the line of sight from the official scorer's seat inside the Miller Park pressbox to the spot on the field where Ross tried to field the ball was obscured by the grandstand. And most camera angles — at least ones used by the home TV broadcast — failed to show what had happened with Ross.
It was a heck of a way for the Brewers to kick off the scoring in a game they won 3-2. But what to call Gomez's play? A hit plus an error, or inside-the-parker?

Watch Gomez's unusual homer

Thanks to an angle being used by the visiting TV crew and MLB.tv, the official scorer was able to catch a glimpse of what happened when Ross came upon the ball. He called it a home run.
Ross was a stand-up guy about the play after game, taking full blame and trying to assign himself an error.

"I missed it. It should be an error, actually," Ross said. "It should not be an inside-the-park home run. I blew it, basically. It's not a home run for sure. It definitely shouldn't go against [Giants left-hander Jonathan Sanchez(notes)]. I went down to go get it and I whiffed. It got by me. Error. That's it. It shouldn't be a home run."

But it's not his call.
Inside-the-park homers are rare — perhaps 20 are hit every season — because they require an unusual set of circumstances that usually include an outfielder misplaying a ball without being charged with an error.
Official scorers are given a certain amount of freedom to act in judgment, but if the defender never actually touches the ball, an error rarely is given.
Even if the ball was played poorly, as Ross admitted it was.
Here's what Gomez was thinking as Ross approached the ball:

"The only thing I knew when I hit the ball is that right away I think, 'double,'" Gomez said. "I know Ross is a really good outfielder and makes really good throws to the base, so I had to be real aggressive."

Note the lack of foul-ball territory between the line and the stands. Ross probably didn't run as fast as he would have, if he had more room to stop before hitting the fence. That factors into the difficulty level, which factors into whether the official scorer calls an error.




It's hard to tell from this screen cap if Ross touches the ball, but judging by its speed as it rolled to the corner, he just barely nicked it, if at all. Back to Gomez:

"When I turned first, I heard the first-base coach [Garth Iorg] say, 'Go three!' "

That ball was really moving — as was Gomez. It was four bases at this point. Back to Carlos:

"Then I looked at Eddie [Sedar, the third-base coach] when I thought he would for sure stop me, and he kept sending me home.
"I said, 'All right.' I pushed everything I've got. I ran as hard as I can."

Though Ross and the Giants requested that official scorer Tim O'Driscoll change the call to include an error, most scorers probably would rule O'Driscoll's way most of the time.
And you wouldn't take away Gomez's first career inside-the-park home run, would you, Mr. Scorer?

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Related: Carlos Gómez, Jonathan Sánchez, Cody Ross, Milwaukee Brewers, San Francisco Giants, Odd Plays

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Rays apologize to fans for Avril Lavigne’s obscene concert

Rays apologize to fans for Avril Lavigne’s obscene concert

By 'Duk

Chill out, what ya yelling for?
That's the question that the embarrassed Tampa Bay Rays should have thrown back at Avril Lavigne after the punk rawker let loose some profanities during the team's summer concert series at Tropicana Field on Saturday night.
Instead the red-faced Rays just apologized directly to their fans in a statement on Sunday.
Said spokesman Rick Vaughn (via The Heater):

"The Rays demand profanity-free performances from all of our concert performers and we are extremely disappointed by the language used in last night's show. It is not consistent with the family-friendly atmosphere that Tropicana Field is known for."

So what was Lavigne yelling for? Was it because the native Canadian still has a soft-spot for her Blue Jays and the Rays lead them in the current AL East standings? Was she suffering from withdrawal from her normal mall habitat of Hot Topics and Orange Juliuses? Good guesses, but no.
In reality, her salty language was reportedly aimed at the fans who booed the technical difficulties that occurred during the singer's first song.
Between her swear words, Lavigne reportedly noted that live shows — especially those at a "baseball stadium" — have a tendency to feature a few glitches. As someone who suffered through George Thorogood's set after a Pittsburgh Pirates game last August, I can attest to that. (I also would have cheered anything that blocked Lavigne's music from being disseminated further, but that's just me.)
Still, Avril should have known better because this was a family atmosphere the Rays were paying her tor perform at. And it was filled with the very same families that Lavigne and her marketing companies have targeted over the past decade by being just the right kind of punk rawk dangerous (which is, to say, usually not dangerous at all).
Were words she uttered probably no worse than the kids in the expensive seats hear from the ballplayers on the field all the time? Probably not, but that still doesn't excuse refusing to drop even a quick "earmuffs!" before her tirade.

Related: Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa

Craig Biggio leads team to two straight state titles

Craig Biggio leads team to two straight state titles

By Cameron Smith

Craig Biggio is a Houston Astros legend. Some would make the case that he even belongs in the Hall of Fame as a 7-time All-Star and with over 3,000 career hits. Whether he's ever inducted in Cooperstown or not, Biggio certainly is of a certain caliber of player who could happily rest on their laurels for the rest of their life when they eventually decide to retire.

Yet that's not Biggio, as most in the Astros organization will quickly attest to. So, rather than ease his way into life after baseball stardom, within two years of his retirement he jumped right into baseball coaching at the high school level. What he has built in the two years since he was hired is something akin to a budding dynasty.
According to the Houston Chronicle, St. Thomas (Texas) School won the TAPPS Class 5A state baseball title in the first year under Biggio's tutelage. In his second season, in 2011, the team made it back to the state finals.
And, for the second straight season, St. Thomas captured the state crown, using a home run by one of Biggio's sons, Cavan Biggio, to earn the crown with a 4-3 victory against Dallas (Texas) Bishop Lynch.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, one of the big bats making a difference in the team's semifinal victory also has the last name Biggio; Craig Biggio's son, Conor Biggio, who delivered the game-winning hit in a 4-3, extra-innings nail biter against Argyle (Texas) Liberty Christian High.
"I don't get too caught up with that," Biggio told the Chronicle when asked about his impact on the program. "It's not about me, it's about these kids, and win or lose we're trying to turn these kids into men. … That's the thing that's most important to me."
Others might disagree, one of his former teammates among them. Another TAPPS state semifinalist in 2011 was coached by another former Astros player, with Woody Williams leading Fort Bend (Texas) Baptist school to the Class 4A semifinals. Like Biggio, Williams, a former pitcher, ushered in an era of immediate success when he arrived at Fort Bend Baptist, and has led the team to the state semifinals in both of the two seasons in which he has been in charge.
While there are any number of reasons why the former Astros have achieved so much in such a small time, others might connect the fact that they're recently retired Astros and notice a trend.
In fact, Biggio and Williams' success raises another question that small Texas private schools hoping to rebuild a baseball program might want to consider: What is Jeff Bagwell up to these days?
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Related: Texas, baseball, famous alums

Giants’ Posey says his season is likely over

May 28, 1:47 am EDT

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP)—Giants catcher Buster Posey(notes) says it’s “highly likely”he will miss the rest of the season after injuring his left leg and ankle in a collision at home plate.
Posey said in a conference call with San Francisco reporters Friday that he is still committed to playing catcher when he returns. He also asked that Major League Baseball and the players’ union look at ways to protect catchers at home plate.
Giants general manager Brian Sabean called on baseball officials to review rules regarding home-plate collisions, and suggested a simple—but significant— change.

San Francisco Giants catcher B…
AP - May 26, 2:42 am EDT

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“You have to slide into other bases,” Sabean said. “Why shouldn’t you have to slide into home plate?”
Speaking to reporters in Milwaukee, where the Giants opened a series against the Brewers on Friday night, Sabean said he wasn’t sure if Posey’s injury would be enough to get baseball to look at the rules. But with players getting stronger and faster, Sabean is concerned that future home plate collisions could lead to head and neck injuries.
“It’s a compelling question,” Sabean said.
Shortly after Sabean made his request, Houston Astros catcher Humberto Quintero(notes) injured his ankle in a collision while blocking the plate against theArizona Diamondbacks. Quintero was placed on the 15-day disabled list immediately after the game with a sprained right ankle.
Posey was not so fortunate. The 2010 NL Rookie of the Year broke a bone in his lower left leg and tore three ligaments in his ankle when Florida’s Scott Cousins(notes) scored the winning run Wednesday night.
Posey felt Cousins could have slid around him but said the collision was a legal play. He holds no ill will against Cousins and said he doesn’t want to“vilify” him.
Sabean also says Cousins could have slid around Posey but wasn’t willing to call the play dirty.
“I have a hard time thinking he was trying to do anything to injure anybody,” Sabean said.
And Sabean wasn’t sure if he would ask baseball officials to consider discipline against Cousins.
“We’re going to wait a couple days, so we can take the emotion out of it,”Sabean said.
Posey is in the process of seeking a specialist to perform surgery on his ankle. He said he’s in almost constant pain but confident he will make a full recovery, even if it’s unclear exactly how long that will take.
“I think we’ll know more once we do some surgery,” Posey said. “I think it’s highly likely I probably won’t be back (this season), from what I’m hearing.”
AP Sports Writer Chris Jenkins contributed to this story from Milwaukee.