Thursday, April 26, 2012

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/highschool-prep-rally/tennessee-baseball-player-breaks-own-car-windshield-game-154700072.html

Tennessee baseball player breaks own car windshield with game-winning homer

By Cameron Smith | Prep Rally – Wed, Apr 25, 2012 11:47 AM EDT


When all the members of the Chuckey-Doak (Tenn.) High baseball team trekked back to their cars following the team's 7-3 victory against Jonesboro (Tenn.) University High, everyone had smiles on their faces except for the player who should have had the widest grin of all.
A broken windshield, though not the one owned by Jameson Painter — Getty ImagesA broken windshield, though not the one owned by Jameson Painter — Getty Images
That player, senior Jameson Painter, hit a game-winning homer in the eighth inning, leading the cheers of his teammates as the Knights wrapped up a win, then was crushed when he saw where his moonshot of a homer landed: Smack dab in the middle of the windshield of his own car.
Chuckey-Doak baseball star Jameson Painter — Contributed photoChuckey-Doak baseball star Jameson Painter — Contributed photo As first reported by the Greeneville Sun and brought to Prep Rally's attention by Off the Bench, Painter's eighth-inning homer smashed the windshield of the senior's personal vehicle as soon as it came down deep over the right-field fence of the Jonesboro field where the teams were competing.
Making matters even harder to take for Painter was this nugget: He had actually moved his vehicle farther out in the parking lot to try to protect it from precisely such an incident. Instead, that impromptu parking adjustment led to his windshield's downfall, as brought on by himself.
If that seems like a harsh twist of fate to you, don't worry, you're certainly not alone. Just ask Painter's own coach.

"We were all talking before the game that it wasn't a good place to park because he was liable to hit one there," Chuckey-Doak (Tenn.) High baseball coach Dustin Morrow told the Sun. "Sure enough, he did. I'm glad he hit the home run but feel bad because now he has to buy a new windshield."
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http://tracking.si.com/2012/04/25/report-red-sox-carl-crawford-will-meet-with-dr-james-andrews/?section=si_latest

 

Report: Red Sox’ Carl Crawford Will Meet With Dr. James Andrews

Boston Red Sox, Carl Crawford, MLB | Comments
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Boston Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford will meet with Dr. James Andrews to have his sore left elbow examined, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney.
Crawford has not yet played for the Red Sox this season; he is currently considered out indefinitely as he recovers from offseason wrist surgery. He’s taken a few at-bats in extended spring training, but there’s no timetable for him to return to the Red Sox’ big club.
Crawford returned home to Florida on Tuesday night to rehab the elbow. Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine told reporters Crawford was seeking a second opinion, and he had no other information on the elbow except that it was “sore.”
“Until a guy is 100 percent, you always have concern,” Valentine said.
Crawford signed a seven-year, $142 million contract with the Red Sox before the 2011 season. He had one of the worst years of his career last year, hitting .255 with 11 home runs and 18 stolen bases.
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Monday, April 23, 2012

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/tiger-stadium-opened-100-years-ago-just-like-fenway-park--but-it-s-ignored-in-detroit.html

Tiger Stadium opened 100 years ago just like Fenway Park, but it's ignored in Detroit

By Eric Adelson | Yahoo! Sports – 15 hours ago


DETROIT – At just after 9 a.m. on a chilly Sunday, a 58-year-old man named Byron Steen crosses Trumbull Street and walks briskly up Michigan Avenue. He passes an empty field with overgrown grass, some litter and two wooden benches.
This is where Tiger Stadium used to be.
Kirk Gibson's second home run in Game 5 of the 1984 World Series remains an iconic moment in Detroit sports history. …But it sure is hard to tell. There isn't a plaque or a statue in sight. If you didn't know where the stadium stood, you would never know it was ever there.
"You know," Steen says, "it never hit me. There's nothing out here."
Tiger Stadium opened on the same day as Fenway Park – April 20, 1912. It was 100 years ago this weekend. Ty Cobb scored the first run by stealing home. From that day until 1999, this very spot rumbled with din and greatness. Pretty much every legend that played in Fenway in the 20th century also played here. Lou Gehrig sat himself down for the first time in 2,130 games here, ending his incredible ironman streak. Babe Ruth hit his 700th home run here. Reggie Jackson hit one into the right field light tower here during the '71 All-Star game. The Tigers won World Series titles here in 1968 and again in 1984, with Kirk Gibson launching a late-inning home run off Goose Gossage that no Tigers fan alive to see it will ever forget. Fair to say this was the most exciting place in the history of Michigan.
And now there's hardly a trace. Fans committed to honoring the old stadium in some form maintain a home plate, a pitcher's mound, two chalk lines for base paths and two benches where the dugouts used to be. The 125-foot flagpole from the old center field is still standing.
That's it. Across the street, there's a Coney Island restaurant, a bar, a Chinese takeout place, and a Faygo sign. There's a large gate from the old stadium, and you can push open a door and take the field, but you have to know where it is. In fact, you have to know the history of "The Corner" to know where this cathedral once stood. The only acknowledgment of the old ball yard is a small plastic sign across the street featuring photos of Mickey Cochrane and Babe Ruth in the stadium and a blurb about plans for development of the area.
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"They should put up a plaque," Steen says.
But the city of Detroit owns this property. And there are far more severe problems around here than commemorating a demolished ballpark. The Tigers have the money, but in an interview Sunday communications director Ron Colangelo explained that it's the city's call – not the team's.
He did acknowledge, however, that there weren't even discussions to honor Tiger Stadium's 100th birthday at Comerica Park this weekend.
So the weekend went by in relative silence at a place that was once so magnificently noisy.
People still visit. A man named Myron Johnson came here from the Upper Peninsula on Sunday morning to mimic a home run swing and run the bases. Asked about why Tiger Stadium mattered to him, he welled up with tears and couldn't answer the question.
He's not alone. Tiger Stadium was old and decrepit, but just about every single memory from there is positive. Tiger Stadium is childhood, family, Ernie Harwell, summer, heroes and happiness. And for those old enough to remember, it's Detroit Lions football when the team was dominant.
The fabled intersection of Michigan and Trumbull used to draw fans from all over Michigan. (Yahoo! Sports)And now …
"I don't go there," said former Tigers great Willie Horton, who won a high school championship in Detroit, loved the Lions, and won a World Series with the Tigers in 1968. "All my life is there."
Horton purposely avoids the entire block, driving around it rather than past the place where he was the very definition of a local boy made good.
"It's very emotional," he said.
There is a group here that lovingly keeps up the field as best as it can, led by a man from nearby Redford named Tom Derry. He and the "Navin Field Grounds Crew" – named after the stadium's original name – mow the lawn (on a John Deere tractor) and repaint the chalk about once a week. Without them, the field would probably be a collection of weeds and dog droppings in the shadow of a modern casino in the distance. In fact, the group found and restored the original home plate area, which was buried underneath a pile of dirt. Derry told the Detroit Free Press this week he considers his contribution "an honor and a privilege." An employee of the Brooks Lumber Company, located across the street, had a centennial flag made to mark 100 years since Cobb first crossed home plate.
[ Related: Blown call spoils conclusion of weekend series between Texas and Detroit ]
Other than that, a landmark on the National Register of Historic Places looks like any of the hundreds of other vacant lots in Detroit.
Years of skirmishes over the stadium's future followed the Tigers' move to Comerica Park in 2000. Some groups wanted the stadium preserved, or a museum built, or a recreational field for youth sports inspired by Ernie Harwell. Eventually the edifice was demolished in 2009 and the lot was left to rot. A group from Chevrolet proposed a Little League field, but the city rejected the idea late last year. There are rumors the city is waiting for a retailer such as Wal-Mart to build on the nine-acre tract.
For now, the ghost of Tiger Stadium is kind of a sore subject. Asked about the place where he spent so much time frolicking as a little boy while his father played for the Tigers, Prince Fielder said Sunday, "It is what it is" and "Me being bothered won't bring it back."
He didn't mean disrespect. It's just a tired and sad subject here now. It's another chapter in the horrible plight of a once-booming city. Even if the city agreed to budget the money for a recreation center – and it poured $4 million into keeping the stadium around for 10 years after the Tigers moved – would that really be a better use of municipal funds than paying teachers or buying computers?
But for one weekend in April, this patch of land didn't have to be an eyesore. For one weekend, it could have been celebrated for the remarkable American place it was. They could have mentioned it at Comerica Park. They could have installed a plaque. Something.
The stadium was demolished in 2009. (AP)"It was the most famous address in Michigan," said Charley Marcuse, 39, who was a hot dog vendor at Tiger Stadium starting at age 18 and now works in food service at Comerica Park. "Not the number, but everyone knows the location. The corner of Michigan and Trumbull was a connection for everyone all over Michigan to the city of Detroit. Once that connection is gone, it's hard to get it back."
Asked if he felt the old stadium should be honored, Marcuse said, "I tweeted about it."
This is no offense to Comerica Park, which fans widely like. There are plenty of tributes to Tiger Stadium at the new place. But it's a modern venue, which means it's more of a facility than a park. Marcuse even misses the men's rooms at Tiger Stadium, which were basically just malodorous troughs. The whole place was ready to fall apart, which was aggravating at the time but wonderful in retrospect.
"One day, hopefully, they'll put something there," Horton said. "But I've kind of left it there in my mind."
In another 100 years, the minds where Tiger Stadium still lingers will all be gone. Some trace of Fenway Park and Wrigley Field will surely remain in Boston and Chicago.
But what will remain at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull? When a man is stopped on the street on a Sunday morning and asked if an old ballpark used to be here, what will he say?
Will he even know?
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Sunday, April 22, 2012

http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120419&content_id=29101534&fext=.jsp&vkey=pr_milb

Family can attend MiLB game for $61
Overall, classification average prices within $2 of 2011 figures
Minor League Baseball
04/19/2012 2:00 PM ET
MiLB fans find affordable family fun and excitement at the ballpark.
MiLB fans find affordable family fun and excitement at the ballpark. (Kevin Littlefield/MiLB.com)
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Minor League Baseball™ announced today that the average cost for a family of four to attend a Minor League Baseball game this season is $61.23. The total was calculated using the prices of two adult tickets, two child tickets, four hot dogs, two sodas, two beers, a program or scorecard and parking at the 159 clubs in the domestic-based leagues that charge admission. The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, who are playing all of their games on the road this season due to a stadium renovation project, were not included in the survey."The ability of our clubs to maintain affordable prices for our millions of fans, especially for families, speaks to their commitment to remain integral parts of their communities," Minor League Baseball president Pat O'Conner said.

"Whether it's to see and experience the game itself, receive a giveaway item or allow the kids to play with the team mascot, fans know they can do all of these things and more at a Minor League Baseball game without breaking the bank." The ticket prices are based on the most economical fixed seat in the ballpark. Adult tickets are available for $8 or less at nearly 80 percent of MiLB™ stadiums. Minor League Baseball is an even bigger bargain when considering that more than 40 percent of clubs do not charge for parking and many have more economical berm seating available, have free or special ticket prices in place for toddlers, senior citizens and/or military personnel, and offer food and drink specials on designated nights of the week.The average cost of a night at an MiLB ballpark for a family of four is $69.07 for a Triple-A® game, $61.57 for Double-A®, $61.62 for Class A® and $54.28 for a Short Season-A™/Rookie® contest. The overall and classification averages all fall within $2 of last season's costs.

Average Prices
ItemMiLBTriple-ADouble-AClass ASS/Rookie
Adult ticket$7.09 $8.09 $7.05 $7.34 $6.04
Child ticket$6.10 $7.03 $6.22 $6.16 $5.25
Hot dog$3.02 $3.41 $3.05 $3.03 $2.71
Soda$2.91 $3.11 $3.02 $2.91 $2.67
Beer$5.05 $5.70 $4.85 $5.06 $4.62
Program$2.25 $2.35 $2.59 $2.15 $2.08
Parking*$4.60 $5.22 $4.50 $4.41 $4.20
* Price where fee is chargedFans are coming out in unprecedented numbers to this one-of-a-kind experience that can only be found at our ballparks. In 2011, the 174 clubs that charge admission attracted more than 41.2 million fans to their ballparks to see the future stars of the sport hone their skills. From the electricity in the stands to the excitement on the field, Minor League Baseball has provided affordable, family-friendly entertainment to people of all ages since its founding in 1901.
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Saturday, April 21, 2012

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/white-sox-rhp-phil-humber-222948392--mlb.html

White Sox RHP Phil Humber throws perfect game

The Associated Press – 11 minutes ago


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SEATTLE (AP) Phil Humber threw the first perfect game in the majors in almost two years, leading the Chicago White Sox to a 4-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday.
It was baseball's 21st perfect game and first since Philadelphia's Roy Halladay threw one against the Florida Marlins on May 29, 2010. It was the third in White Sox's history, joining Mark Buehrle against Tampa Bay on July 23, 2009, and Charles Robertson against Detroit on April 30, 1922.
With the White Sox lined up on the top step of the dugout, Humber fell behind 3-0 to Michael Saunders leading off the ninth. But he rebounded to strike him out. John Jaso then flied out before Brendan Ryan, another pinch-hitter, struck out to end the game.
Ryan took a checked swing and missed at a full-count pitch, but the ball got away from catcher A.J. Pierzynski. Ryan lingered outside the batter's box for a minute, unsure of umpire Brian Runge's call, and Pierzynski fired to first to complete the play.
Humber, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2005, fell to his knees went it was over, and his teammates rushed to the mound to congratulate him.
''This is awesome,'' Humber said. ''I'm so thankful.''
Humber struck out nine and had a three-ball count only three times.
It was the first no-hitter of the season. There were three last season: Francisco Liriano of Minnesota, Justin Verlander of Detroit, and Ervin Santana of the Los Angeles Angels.
It was the third no-hitter thrown against Seattle. Mark Langston and Mike Witt of California combined on one on April 11, 1990, and Dwight Gooden of the Yankees threw one on May 14, 1996.
It was the second start of the season for Humber (1-0), who went 5 1-3 innings, allowing one run and six hits against Baltimore on Monday night.

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http://sports.yahoo.com/news/white-sox-rhp-phil-humber-222948392--mlb.html

 

 

White Sox RHP Phil Humber throws perfect game

4 minutes ago


Preview | Box Score | Recap


SEATTLE (AP)—Phil Humber threw the first perfect game in the majors in almost two years, leading the Chicago White Sox to a 4-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday.
It was baseball’s 21st perfect game and first since Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay threw one against the Florida Marlins on May 29, 2010. It was the third in White Sox’s history, joining Mark Buehrle against Tampa Bay on July 23, 2009, and Charles Robertson against Detroit on April 30, 1922.
With the White Sox lined up on the top step of the dugout, Humber fell behind 3-0 to Michael Saunders leading off the ninth. But he rebounded to strike him out. John Jaso then flied out before Brendan Ryan, another pinch-hitter, struck out to end
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http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/honus-wagner-t-206-sells-1-2-million-142622731.html


Honus Wagner T-206 sells for $1.2 million

By Kevin Kaduk | Big League Stew – 22 hours ago


The Honus Wagner T-206 (AP)For all the peaks and valleys the baseball card industry has experienced over the last two decades, one fact has remained a constant: People are willing to pay a great deal of money to own Honus Wagner's rare T-206 card.
Often referred to as the "Holy Grail" of sports card collecting, the latest one was sold on Friday morning for $1.2 million. Joe Holleman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the buyer was an unidentified New Jersey resident and that it sold for about $300,000 more than a T-206 in similar condition sold for a few years back.
From the Post-Dispatch:
Historians estimate that 60 Wagner cards still exist, and many are in poor shape. Only 22 are in sufficient condition to have earned a grade from Sportscard Guarantee Corp. (SGC) or Professional Sports Authenticators (PSA), the industry's major grading firms. Goodwin's card was graded at a "VG-3" by SGC and is considered to be one of the top six in existence.
According to several websites that track T206 cards, one Wagner "3" sold in 2008 for $791,000 and another sold the next year for $925,000.
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The record price for a T-206 remains the $2.8 million that Arizona Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick paid for the one that was famously bought by Wayne Gretzky and Bruce McNall in 1991 for $451,000. Graded at an "8," it's believed to sport the best condition of any surviving T-206.
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