Baseball

LA Times: Cold numbers won out over warm memories Tuesday night when the Dodgers unceremoniously severed ties with Steve Finley and Jose Lima, players who made unforgettable contributions to the team’s division championship. Neither player was offered salary arbitration by the 9 p.m. deadline, meaning the Dodgers cannot negotiate with them until May 1. By then, they undoubtedly will be wearing new uniforms. Among the 12 Dodger free agents, only third baseman Adrian Beltre, catcher Brent Mayne and pitchers Odalis…

Either way, I’m glad to see that someone is playing hardball around here. Says the WashPost: As Major League Baseball’s steroid scandal widened to include the sport’s most prolific active home run hitter, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) said yesterday that he will introduce legislation imposing drug testing standards on professional athletes if baseball players and owners do not adopt a stringent crackdown on steroids by January. In the wake of the disclosure that San Francisco Giants slugger…

It was actually happening. The nerd was kissing the homecoming queen. Paper was beating scissors; scissors were beating rock. Charlie Brown was kicking the football. The Red Sox were beating the Yankees for the American League pennant. [“Red Sox’ Anguish and Yankees’ Mystique and Aura Dissolve in Game 7” by Tyler Kepner, The New York Times, October 21 2004]

I hope that all who are observing Yom Kippur have an easy fast this weekend. And particularly to Shawn Green, who has found a way to balance his heritage with his duties as a baseball player. And for this weekend, for those who care — GO BLUE! He is someone who does not practice his faith but wants to honor it nonetheless. He is someone who does not consider baseball more important than life, but who does not want to…

Say what you will about Barry Bonds, but reaching 700 HRs is no small task. Congratulations, Barry. However, I bet this guy feels dumb now. Six months ago, the Dodgers sold Michael Mahan nearly $25,000 worth of tickets. Now, like an unwelcome home run ball hit by a visiting player, they’d like to throw the whole deal back. Mahan, 28, a Los Angeles investment banker and lifelong Dodger fan, bought every seat in Dodger Stadium’s right-field pavilion for two of…

Is there a rule that says that once the Dodgers get a great catcher who has matured with the team and has dreamed of playing for the club, and that all the fans know and love that he gets traded away to the Marlins? Dodgers, Marlins Make Six-Player Trade The Dodgers on Friday sent three key players, catcher Paul Lo Duca, reliever Guillermo Mota and right fielder Juan Encarnacion, to the Florida Marlins for pitcher Brad Penny and first baseman…

I have a pair to this great game that I sadly cannot attend on June 21 (this Monday). $48.50 for the pair (what I paid for them).

Thank goodness! OAKLAND, Calif., May 6 — Faced with a public outcry, angry threats from Congress and even criticism from some of its owners, Major League Baseball announced late Thursday that it was retreating from plans to place logos for the new movie “Spider-Man 2” on the bases during games next month. The announcement, made jointly with Columbia Pictures, the movie’s distributor, came after a second day of criticism over what many perceived as the sport’s crass commercialization of the…