Interesting Baseball News Items That Do Not Warrant Their Own Thread

[SoCal Pinstriper]

Trevor Hoffman's appearance on Sunday marked his 776th outing for the Padres, breaking Elroy Face's major league record for most relief appearances with one club, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Face appeared in 775 games with the Pirates from 1953-68. In 1959, Face went 18-1 as a reliever.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniont...2padnotes.html

The main argument for the wild card is that it keeps more teams in the race for longer periods of time. This is true.
During the two-division era, 16.5 percent of all teams finished fewer than seven games out of first place, meaning that the vast majority of those teams were mathematically alive entering the final week of the season.
Since the split into three divisions, that figure has risen to 23.4 percent. Toss in the wild-card races, 29.3 percent of all teams have been fewer than seven games from a playoff spot since 1994.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...s/15329019.htm

Tigers season-ticket holder Phil DeShong has been holding his breath waiting to see how much his four bleacher seats -- $8 a pop during the regular season -- will cost him in the playoffs.
Try $4,600.
Late Saturday night, DeShong signed onto his account at the Tigers home page on the Internet and got a sneak preview, apparently by mistake when a technician posted DeShong's invoice online days earlier than the club had planned to make the pricing schedule public.
Tigers officials confirmed Monday some electronic invoices had been loaded in error, and then removed from the Web site. Invoices are to be mailed to season-ticket holders today announcing the postseason price structure, a team official said in an e-mail.
When he saw his sneak preview, "I just about fell off my chair," DeShong said Monday from his home in Nashville, Tenn., where he moved from Detroit in April.
For the best-of-five first round of the playoffs, his four seats in Section 101, the right-field bleachers, will cost $40 each -- five times the regular-season price.
For the American League Championship Series, they will be $80 each -- 10 times as much.
And the World Series? Each ticket will cost $175 -- 22 times its regular-season price.
The total on the invoice DeShong saw -- payable in advance, please -- was $4,592, including $32 for a possible tie-break game at the regular-season price.
His four regular-season tickets came to about $2,500, he said.

http://detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll...608220410/1004

[Mr. Mxylsplk]

Trevor Hoffman's appearance on Sunday marked his 776th outing for the Padres, breaking Elroy Face's major league record for most relief appearances with one club, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Face appeared in 775 games with the Pirates from 1953-68. In 1959, Face went 18-1 as a reliever.

Depending on how long they both play, Mo's got a good shot at that record. He's basically one season's worth behind Hoffman's number of appearances, and he's two years younger.

[Mark19]

Raul Mondesi in troubling for stealing electricity

http://www.dominicantoday.com/app/article.aspx?id=15466

insert punchline here

[South Facing Epitaph]

Deadball era revived

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060824/...tage_base_ball

[Cuban Connection]

Sean Casey grounded out to LF field today!!!

5-7-3

[Liquid Sky]

Can it actually be called "news" when someone claims Barry Bonds is not a joy to deal with?

A baseball memorabilia collector is parting with the highlights of his Barry Bonds collection, saying the Giants star treated him poorly during a federal investigation into sales of Bonds collectibles. "I can't stand the guy," said Jeff Kranz of Phoenix, who began collecting Bonds baseball cards in 1988.

Kranz also said the value of his collection has decreased because of Bonds' alleged steroid use. The collection is being auctioned online by Lelands, based in Seaford, N.Y. It includes the jersey Bonds wore when he hit his first home run in the Giants' current ballpark, a Pittsburgh Pirates uniform he wore in 1992 and a Bonds glove from 1987 backed up by a photo of him signing it.

http://www.projo.com/redsox/content/...o.31e49db.html

[pedromartinezfan]

Jason Jennings:

3.32 ERA in 178.7 innings pitched. 4th in the Majors with 52.6 VORP behind Santana (61.1), Halladay (57.3), and Webb (55.1)

[Liquid Sky]

The ever-quotable Ozzie Guillen never fails to deliver:

You get the idea: White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was at it again recently, complaining that nobody in the game respects him. "They have a Mexican win the World Series in two years and they say he doesn't have experience, he never managed before. Well, too bad," Guillen said. Reminded that he is Venezuelan and not Mexican, Guillen laughed. "What's the difference?" he said. "No one knows the difference anyway."

http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...608270307/1108

[ojo]

i think ozzie's got some sort of projection/self-loathing thing going on.

[Liquid Sky]

So sad, not just for this victim and his loved ones, but for all who perished and those they left behind.

A former pick in the First-Year Player Draft was among 49 passengers who perished Sunday in the Comair Flight 5191 plane crash. He and his new bride were bound for their honeymoon following a lavish wedding the night before in his home state of Kentucky.

Jon Hooker, 27, pitched for the University of Kentucky from 1998-2001, posting a 5-5 career record and a 3.23 ERA with 11 saves as a senior. He was selected by the Cleveland Indians after his junior season, in the 40th round (1,205th overall), but elected to return to the Wildcats for his senior year.

Hooker was undrafted after college but signed a free-agent contract with the Chicago White Sox in 2001, reporting to their mini-camp in Tucson, Ariz. He subsequently played professionally for Independent League teams in Fargo, N.D., and Joliet, Ill., before returning to his hometown in the Lexington area.

Hooker and wife, Scarlett Parsley, were married there Saturday night before 300 friends and family members in a ceremony that featured a horse-drawn carriage, according to former Kentucky baseball coach Keith Madison, who was in attendance. The newlyweds then were on the pre-dawn flight headed for Atlanta, but the commuter flight crashed into a wooded area just after takeoff.

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/a...=.jsp&c_id=mlb

[Hildy910]

Very enjoyable column on how to watch a baseball game, old style.

http://www.latimes.com/features/maga...ck=1&cset=true

[SoCal Pinstriper]

Very enjoyable column on how to watch a baseball game, old style.

http://www.latimes.com/features/maga...ck=1&cset=true

Very good piece. Somehow, I missed it in the print edition. I agree with Hano's comments about the distractions. I really dislike the music at games.

He was dead wrong about one thing, though. Dodger Dogs are really nothing special.

Thanks for posting this.

[Bernie Inferno]

Very enjoyable column on how to watch a baseball game, old style.

http://www.latimes.com/features/maga...ck=1&cset=true

Thanks for the link. A great read.

[knickfan23]

Delmon Young has started off his career nicely.

8 for 11 with a HR and 4 RBI

[dpinzow]

Delmon Young has started off his career nicely.

8 for 11 with a HR and 4 RBI

And a HBP in his first major league plate appearance (sure Ozzie, it wasn't intentional)

Young's debut was eventful for more than just the home run. An added oddity was the fact he became the first player since Johnny Ellis of the Yankees in 1969 to get hit by a pitch in his first Major League at-bat, then homer in the same game.
After Tuesday night's game, Rays manager Joe Maddon told reporters how the Rays were not going to stand for Young to get hit intentionally. On Wednesday, White Sox manager Ozzie Smith said Young's beaning on Tuesday night was strictly unintentional. When told Guillen's comments, Maddon said if Guillen said it was unintentional, he believed him.
Maddon did win points with Young the way he reacted to Young getting hit Tuesday night.
"Yeah, it's a real good feeling that your manager is watching your back and everything, and I respect him for that and everything," Young said.

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/a...t=.jsp&c_id=tb

Also if I were the writer of this piece I'd be crapping my pants hoping to keep my job because Ozzie Guillen is the manager of the White Sox, not Ozzie Smith.

[Liquid Sky]

Astros' pitcher Backe scheduled to have Tommy John surgery next week:

Recovery time is 12-18 months, and a realistic target date for a return is April of 2008. Backe would like to pitch at the end of '07 but understands that might be pushing it.

"The realistic thought would be to be ready to go for Spring Training in 2008," Backe said. "I'm open to Winter Ball to get myself prepared for 2008."

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/a...=.jsp&c_id=mlb

[Liquid Sky]

Mulder may be through for the year. Extra-tough luck for him, since he's due to be a free agent after 2006.

....Mark Mulder, hammered in a pair of starts since coming off the disabled list, believes he probably won't pitch again this season because of shoulder problems.

''I doubt it, but I don't know,'' Mulder said Wednesday. ''I can't give you a yes or a no, but the way it feels and the way it looks, I doubt it."

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/spor...ls-Mulder.html

[AustinTXHorn]

Randall Simon is back in the majors. Rangers traded him to the Phillies and I believe he's being called up.

[SoCal Pinstriper]

Randall Simon is back in the majors. Rangers traded him to the Phillies and I believe he's being called up.

NL mascots have more to fear than NL pitchers.

[Bob Saccomano]

Mulder may be through for the year. Extra-tough luck for him, since he's due to be a free agent after 2006.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/spor...ls-Mulder.html

My feeling is that he will re-sign to a one year, incentive-laden deal with the Cardinals in the hopes of building a case for himself as a free agent in 08.

[yankeesAZ]

Randall Simon is back in the majors. Rangers traded him to the Phillies and I believe he's being called up.

I can see that video a million times and still bust out laughing every single time.

[Window]

does anyone have the clip?

[Liquid Sky]

does anyone have the clip?

Here's a video of a TV news segment that shows the incident. In a way what's even more bizarre is hearing the reporters very seriously discussing "sausages." I guess at the time their tone was appropriate, but with the benefit of hindsight (knowing no one was injured) they sound comically dramatic.

Don't misunderstand.....not trying to imply that this would be funny if the person in the costume had been hurt as a result of what Simon did.

http://www.thoughtsonthings.com/arch...ge_assault.php

[Liquid Sky]

Nice profile in The New York Times of a nun who also happens to be a devoted Atlanta Braves fan:

Through her allegiance to the Braves, she has a mountain of memories. She once defeated Chipper Jones in air hockey at a charity event, was the team captain for a Braves game, received an honorary contract from the Braves and has a baseball autographed by Hank Aaron. Her favorite publication, by far, is ChopTalk, the Braves’ monthly magazine.

She keeps grass from Turner Field in a sealed plastic bag and even has a ball glove that she carries to games, which, oddly enough, was signed by David Cone. Reminded that Cone was not a Brave, but a former Met and Yankee, Sister Marian said, “Maybe that’s why I’ve never caught anything.”

Instead of taking the subway to Shea this week, Sister Marian will spend time with her patients, attend Mass or prayer sessions at least five times a day and, with any luck, listen to snippets of the games on the radio.

[dpinzow]

Bert Blyleven's got a potty mouth:

Twins broadcaster Blyleven suspended

Blyleven's remarks came during a pregame segment prior to Sunday afternoon's game against the Yankees. Blyleven uttered the "f-word" twice by accident when he assumed the segment wasn't being aired live.

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/a...=.jsp&c_id=mlb