Durham Helps Giants Defeat D'backs 6-3

PHOENIX - Ray Durham homered and drove in four runs to back a solid outing by Jason Schmidt, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-3 Friday night.

Durham hit an RBI single and a three-run homer. Omar Vizquel added a two-run double, and J.T. Snow had base hits before each of Durham's run-scoring hits.
The Giants won for the fifth time in six games to move past Arizona for third place in the NL West. San Francisco is 6 1/2 games behind the first-place Padres.
Schmidt allowed three runs, four hits and three walks in 6 2-3 innings to improve to 5-0 in his last six starts. He continued to dominate the Diamondbacks, winning his third straight and improving to 3-0 in five starts against them this year.
Schmidt (12-6) matched his season high by striking out 10. That gave him 871 strikeouts with the Giants and moved him past John Montefusco for fifth place in San Francisco history.
The right-hander came out after pinch-hitter Alex Cintron blooped a two-run double into right field in the seventh, cutting San Francisco's lead to 6-3. It was the fourth double Schmidt allowed, including two by Shawn Green.
Scott Eyre got the next four outs for the Giants, and Armando Benitez worked the ninth for his 10th save.
Durham, who drove in a run with a broken-bat single in the fourth, broke a 1-1 tie in the sixth with his three-run shot into the Giants' bullpen off Brandon Webb. It followed back-to-back singles by Snow and Moises Alou.
In the seventh, Mike Matheny and Randy Winn singled before Vizquel doubled to make it 6-1. Webb (11-11) was lifted for reliever Buddy Groom after giving up six runs and nine hits in 6 1-3 innings. He struck out seven.
Arizona took a 1-0 lead in the second on doubles by Green and Troy Glaus, but Schmidt then pitched four hitless innings.
Webb got 10 consecutive outs before Snow doubled in the fourth. Webb struck out Alou for the second out, then barely escaped injury on Durham's bizarre base hit. The ball hit Webb on the left shin and caromed into left field while the barrel of the bat sailed past his waist.
Notes:@ The Giants are 15-3 this year when Schmidt works at least six innings. ... Schmidt has three double-digit strikeout games this season and 23 in his career. ... Glaus got his 600th RBI with his double in the second. ... Snow's double was his 225th, one short of Orlando Cepeda for seventh in San Francisco history. ... 1B Tony Clark robbed Matheny of a hit with a full-extension, diving catch of his liner in the fifth. But Alou answered in Arizona's half, taking a hit away from Chris Snyder with a diving grab in LF.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/

Start not beginning for DiNardo

Lenny DiNardo went to the major league mountaintop in 2004. A 6-foot-4-inch lefthander from Florida, he was called to The Show by the Red Sox in April and made his major league debut in Yankee Stadium four days later, retiring the Bombers in order in the ninth inning of an 11-2 victory.

Before the year was over, he appeared in 21 more games, sang backup on ''Tessie" with the Dropkick Murphys, endured the standard rookie hazing when he was forced to wear a Hooters uniform through Canadian customs, and rode a Duck Boat on the Charles after the Sox won the World Series. He picked up a World Series ring, did the trophy tour, and performed at Hot Stove, Cool Music. He was an ancillary Idiot, a bit player in Boston Sports' Greatest Story Ever Told.
One thing he did not do was start a game or earn a decision. Last night, he did both. Stepping into the gap created by David Wells's big mouth, DiNardo took the ball and gave the Sox six serviceable innings in a 7-3 loss to the Orioles. He surrendered only one earned run, but left trailing, 4-3. DiNardo struck out six, walked one, and gave up seven hits. Sixty-four of his 91 pitches were strikes. He kept the ball down. Not bad for a first big league start.
''I thought he more than held his own," said Sox manager Terry Francona. ''When he locates the ball down, it's hard to get it up in the air. He's going to give your third baseman a lot of ground balls."
DiNardo spent much of this summer on the Lou Merloni/Kevin Youkilis Highway, getting the call from Boston fives times, while starting 22 games for Pawtucket. He appeared in only three games for the Sox before getting the nod as an emergency starter last night.
''I definitely had some butterflies," said the lefthander. ''And I think it showed."
He needed only 10 pitches and faced only three batters in the first. The Orioles reached him for three unearned runs in the second, then another run when the immortal Alejandro Freire punched a cheap homer inside Pesky's Pole in the fourth.
DiNardo made some of his own trouble. He surrendered seven hits and one walk in the first four innings. If not for a tough error on Bill Mueller, all four Oriole runs could have been earned.
The tall southpaw pitched his best in the fifth and sixth. He retired the last seven batters he faced, four on strikeouts.

Source: http://www.boston.com/
''Later in the game, I was a lot looser and felt like I could just go out there and pitch," said DiNardo.
Anyone who's been watching this week knows that it's OK to give up four or five runs when you start for the Red Sox. There's still a pretty good chance they will win. Not last night. Boston managed only two hits over the first eight innings.

Davenport downs Medina-Garrigues to reach last 16

NEW Y0RK (Reuters) - Second seed
Lindsay Davenport overcame a slow start to beat Spain's Anabel Medina-Garrigues 6-3 6-2 to reach the fourth round of the U.S. Open on Saturday.

The former champion dropped her serve in the opening game against the 32nd seed but broke back immediately. She broke again in the eighth game and then ripped through the second set to win in one hour nine minutes.
Davenport, the runner-up at the Australian Open and
Wimbledon this year, began loosely, spraying groundstrokes long as Medina-Garrigues forced break points in the seventh game.
But once the American had held for 4-3, she grew in confidence and clinched victory to set up a clash with Nathalie Dechy, the 15th seed from France.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/

Follow these leaders in AL

Front office shake-upAlmost as interesting as watching where the players go this winter will be tracking the movement of general managers. Theo Epstein would be the most spectacular prize available if he elected free agency, but all indications are that the Sox have no intentions of letting him walk. The other big name who could be available is Brian Cashman if George Steinbrenner decides to shake up the Yankees. Cashman, who grew up in the Washington, D.C., area, would figure to be a top name on the list of whichever ownership group is awarded the Nationals. Pat Gillick, who built winners in Toronto, Baltimore,and Seattle, is said to be hankering for a piece of the Washington action. Gerry Hunsicker wants back in, a year after cutting his ties with the Astros, and when Stuart Sternberg finally shoves aside Vince Naimoli for control of the Devil Rays, Chuck LaMar's run as GM could come to an end. Other GMs who could wind up on the endangered list are Dan O'Dowd in Colorado, Dan O'Brien in Cincinnati, Bill Bavasi in Seattle, and the two-headed partnership in Baltimore, Mike Flanagan and Jim Beattie. Mike Rizzo, the former Sox scout and highly regarded scouting director of the D-Backs, is getting serious consideration for that team's vacancy. Giants assistant GM Ned Colletti and Sox assistant GM Josh Byrnes are other names that should be in play, along with Tigers special assistant Al Avila.

Great ScotYou won't see his name on many MVP ballots, but Sox manager Terry Francona mentioned Angels reliever Scot Shields, who led the league in relief innings pitched with 77 2/3 entering last night, as one of the game's most significant players. ''I don't think you've ever heard me say I'd vote for [a player] for MVP, I don't believe in that," Francona said, ''but Shields, he shoulders so much responsibility. Against lefties, against righties, he pitches a lot of innings. He's so valuable to a staff. [Angels pitching coach] Bud Black and I have had this conversation a lot of times. He says unless you get a lefty you can count on, our guys [righthanders] get lefties. It does put a lot of responsibility on them, but they've handled it." The Angels, who have not had a lefty in the pen, last week traded for Jason Christiansen from the Giants. Told that Angels manager Mike Scioscia had mentioned Shields in connection with the MVP last season, Francona cracked, ''Vladi [Guerrero] wasn't too bad, either. Let Shields hit fourth and see who's MVP."
The invisible manChristiansen, after being traded to the Angels: ''It's good to get out of a situation where if you pitch a good game, guys ask, 'Did you miss Barry [Bonds] today?' Life goes on without that guy coming to the park. The last five months, we saw him about 20 days. It's tough to answer questions about someone you don't know anything about unless you go on to his website."
Pitching changeDerek Lowe, who threw a one-hitter last week against the Cubs, credited moving to the first base side of the rubber with helping his command. Lowe said he also changed his grip on the ball to alleviate his chronic problems with blisters.
Helping the causeIf you plan to be in New York next weekend, I invite you to attend ''Gordon Edes and Friends" to talk baseball and fight cancer Saturday night at Stitch, a sports bar at 247 W. 37th Street, between 7th and 8th avenues. Come hang out with sportswriters from the Globe, Herald, Providence Journal, and Hartford Courant. Your $50 donation to the Jimmy Fund comes with open bar. Tickets are available at www.jimmyfund.org/eve/event/gordon-edes/default.asp. The Boston (212) Cafe, a New England-oriented sports bar/restaurant at 1009 2nd Ave between 53rd and 54th Street, will donate a portion of the proceeds from its bar sales during Sox-Yankees games that weekend. It is also raffling off dinner for two Sunday night (you must bring a ticket from the prior evening's event).
Know your current eventsBest line out of the Little League World Series comes from David Letterman, who cracked: ''The Hawaiian kids that won the Little League World Series got some prizes. They win KFC for the year and 52 six-packs of Pepsi. I think they might be healthier if they just used steroids."

Source: http://www.boston.com/

Crabs, corn, bugs and baseball: a summer recap

IT HAS BEEN an excellent season for crabs and corn, so-so for bugs and bad for baseball.
That is my summation of the summer of 2005. Technically it is still summer until the autumnal equinox falls on Sept. 22. But while some bugs and calendar purists behave as if September is still the summertime, for most of us, the Labor Day weekend signals the end of the warm ride.
Certain experiences define a Maryland summer. Cracking crabs, feasting on sweet corn, battling mosquitoes and following the fortunes of the Baltimore Orioles are mainstays of my summer. To add a touch of objectivity to what is an admittedly personal, impressionistic look at the past three months, I spoke with folks who toil in some of these fields and asked them to recap their summers.
On the crab front, both Rob Cernak, owner of Obrycki's restaurant in East Baltimore, and Mark Musterman who runs Strongs Bay Seafood, a wholesale and retail operation on Kent Island, said this had been a good summer for fans of steamed crustaceans.
Cernak said that record throngs of mallet-waving diners had descended on his family's restaurant.
Musterman said that while local crabs were scarce early in the summer, their numbers picked up as the summer wore on.
"We had a cool May, so the crab harvest started off slowly," said Musterman, who said his wholesale operation supplies crabs to about 100 area businesses. "Last year, I got my first Maryland crab on May 15; this year it was June 15."
While waiting for the Chesapeake Bay harvest to start, Musterman bought crabs from the Gulf Coast suppliers. That source of crabs has been tossed into chaos by Hurricane Katrina, he said.
Recounting a telephone conversation he had late this week with one of his Louisiana suppliers, he said some crabbers there could be finished for the season. "They are trying to find their boats and crab pots; they don't know if they will be shut down for three weeks or a year," Musterman said.
Crab eaters in Maryland probably aren't likely to notice this drop-off in Louisiana production because there is an abundant supply of crabs coming from the Chesapeake Bay, Musterman said. "There are a ton of crabs out there, especially in Southern Maryland," he said.
Moreover, he said, demand for crabs traditionally drops around Labor Day, even though Chesapeake Bay crabs get heavier and larger in September. As for prices, Musterman said he was retailing extra-large or jumbo crabs at $40 a dozen this weekend, and $25 a dozen for mediums.
Pam Pahl reported this was a banner summer for flavorful sweet corn. "It was a good summer for corn because corn likes a lot of rain," said Pahl, whose family grows produce in Baltimore County and sells it at a variety of Baltimore-area markets. She spoke to me by cell phone as she sold ears at the Thursday farmers' market in Towson. She, too, noted that the season had a cool beginning but rallied as rain and hot weather rolled in during July. "That combination of hot weather and rain made it a good corn year," she said.
On the bug front, the news was mixed, said Cy Lesser. He oversees the Maryland Department of Agriculture's annual battle with mosquitoes.
The good news, he said, is that many of the mosquitoes who reside in the state's marshes and tidal waterways got eaten by a bumper crop of minnows. Mother Nature worked things out so that there was plenty of water in the marshes, and therefore plenty of hungry minnows who feed on mosquito larvae, Lesser said.
The bad news is that the urban mosquito, the pesky Asian tiger, enjoyed another summer of feasting on Marylanders, he said. These mosquitoes breed in small amounts of standing water, such as the containers that catch water in the bottom of flower pots. Since there are no predators that swim in these small amounts of water, the Asian tigers enjoyed a worry-free summer, feeding on bare backyard flesh, Lesser said. The most effective weapon in the fight against this pest, he said, is to eliminate the sources of standing water, a chore that can be frustrating.
Finally, on the baseball front, this summer has been a deep disappointment. After a tantalizing first half of the season, the Orioles collapsed. Not only did they lose games, they lost their dignity. Their once-proud tradition was stained by steroid and drunken-driving scandals. I still follow the team, listening to the radio broadcasts as I swat the last of summer's mosquitoes and eat the season's last offerings of crab and corn. But like a lot of Marylanders, I can't wait for this part of summer to fade away.

Source: http://www.baltimoresun.com/

Given 'Snub' of RFK, Nats Even Struggling In Hollywood Circles

Baseball's return to Washington after a 34-year absence has been trumpeted internationally by the media this season.
But, it could appear, word has not reached planet Hollywood.

Last Sunday, producers of the new ABC series "Commander in Chief" filmed a scene in which star Geena Davis, playing the president of the United States, throws out the first pitch . . . at Baltimore's Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
To some, that was akin to shooting a stock market scene in Newark.
"Unless the show is a period piece, shouldn't they have reflected the new reality that baseball has returned to D.C.?" wondered Michael Epstein, a District resident who was at the Orioles game.
On the list of Washington snubs -- no representation in Congress; the constitutional banning of a commuter tax; the initial decision by cable station ESPN to bypass the District during its recent tour of the country's 50 states -- the TV taping might not rank particularly high.
But some fans at Sunday's game wondered why the television crew was not shooting the scene 35 miles south at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, where the Nationals were playing the St. Louis Cardinals.
"My question is," Epstein said, "why was this scene being filmed in Camden Yards when the appropriate place for such a scene would now be RFK Stadium, home of the Washington Nationals?"
A D.C. morning radio show was so outraged that the deejays unsuccessfully attempted to track down James Spies, a producer of "Commander in Chief," which premieres late this month.
Spies said he wants to set the record straight. The Baltimore staging was not intended to slight the District, he said, and, no, "Commander in Chief" did not shoot at Oriole Park because the show thought that ballpark was more beautiful than RFK.
The fact is, Spies said, one of the show's writers wanted to use RFK when the script was being written a few months ago. The production schedule, however, called for shooting during a week in mid-August when the Nationals were on a 13-day road trip.
So the producers, negotiating for stadium access with Major League Baseball, requested Oriole Park. When the production schedule was delayed by two weeks, the stadium shot was rescheduled for a day when both the Orioles and Nationals played at home. But by then, it was too late to change the preparations, Spies said.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/

White Sox Sweep Tigers With 2-0 Victory

CHICAGO - Jon Garland got his 17th win on his fifth try and Paul Konerko homered Sunday, sending the Chicago White Sox to a 2-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers and a sweep of their four-game series.

After losing three straight decisions, Garland (17-8) allowed four hits in his third complete game of the season — all shutouts. Winning for the first time since Aug. 7, the right-hander tied Angels ace Bartolo Colon, who was scheduled to pitch later Sunday, for the AL lead in victories.
Garland walked one and struck out seven, including Chris Shelton with a runner at third to end the eighth. He outpitched Jeremy Bonderman (14-12), who lost his third consecutive start despite allowing five hits in his fourth complete game this season and the sixth of his career. He struck out six and walked one.
Konerko's 33rd homer gave the White Sox a 2-0 lead in the fourth — they outscored Detroit 29-6 in the series — and Garland benefited from some excellent defense.
After center fielder Aaron Rowand made a nice, running catch of Shelton's long drive, Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Pena hit two-out singles in the fourth. But with runners at first and third, the Tigers were turned away when third baseman Pablo Ozuna made a diving stop of Craig Monroe's hard shot down the line before getting to his feet and throwing him out.
Scott Podsednik led off the bottom of the first with a single, moved up on Bonderman's wild pitch and scored when Tadahito Iguchi hit a single that deflected off Bonderman's glove and was redirected past second baseman Placido Polanco. Monroe then saved another run with a great, over-the-shoulder catch of Konerko's drive to the warning track in center.
Notes:@ It was Garland's fourth career shutout and fifth complete game. He is 9-8 since starting the season 8-0. ... The White Sox play a makeup game at Fenway Park on Monday before returning home to finish their homestand Tuesday through Sunday against the Royals and Angels. Chicago will leave all its starting pitchers behind for the makeup game. Rookie Brandon McCarthy will get the start. ... Detroit has lost nine of 11 overall and finished 2-7 on a tough road trip to Boston, Cleveland and Chicago. ... After struggling in August with a 12-16 record, the White Sox are 4-0 in September. ... Garland is 9-4 in his career against the Tigers, including 3-0 this season. ... Tigers C Ivan Rodriguez, 1-for-15 in his career against Garland entering the game, didn't start but pinch-hit in the eighth and flied out.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/

Institute to help China fight AIDS

Already a force in the fight against AIDS in Africa, the Institute of Human Virology is expanding its reach to Asia. The organization, part of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, signed an agreement at a conference in Baltimore to help China control its emerging AIDS epidemic.
Orioles release pitcher Ponson The Orioles placed pitcher Sidney Ponson on unconditional release waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract, ending a relationship that began in 1993. The club noted his conduct, including three arrests since December.
High school pays heavy war toll Students returned to the first day at Forest Park High School and mourned two recent graduates who died recently fighting overseas. Army Staff Sgt. Damion G. Campbell was killed Aug. 26 in Afghanistan. Army Spc. Toccara Renee Green died in Iraq on Aug. 14.
Plans for state office complex State officials are considering tearing down the 25-acre downtown Baltimore state office complex and turning it into the foundation for a new entertainment, retail and residential hub. The potential redevelopment site would be the largest such effort in modern city history.
Financial analyst Westheimer dies Julius M. Westheimer, a Baltimore investment banker, raconteur and financial analyst for newspapers, radio and TV, died at 88.
Howard County plans smoking ban County Executive James N. Robey is preparing legislation that would ban smoking in Howard's restaurants and bars, following the example of Montgomery and Talbot counties and, supporters hope, strengthening momentum for a statewide ban.
Poverty growing in Maryland.

Source: http://www.baltimoresun.com/

Words worth it for Joe

OAKLAND - It wasn't altogether surprising that Joe Torre held yet another team meeting before yesterday's game since the Yankees returned to the Coliseum less than 12 hours after getting blasted by the A's, 12-0.
But Torre's message to his players wasn't harsh. He didn't scold them or raise his voice as he did when the Yanks lost two of three in Tampa last month. Rather, Torre wanted to remind the Bombers to be patient at the plate, not try to hit home runs all the time and quickly put losses, like their two previous defeats, in the past.
"Managers, if you have something to say, you want everybody to hear it," Torre said. "Most meetings are, for me, if I have something to say, I want to make sure to cover everything I need to cover. It helps me deal with things better.... My team is fine. When I have meetings, it's not always about screaming at somebody or telling everybody what they're doing wrong."
This was the Yanks' eighth team meeting this season.

Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/

Given 'Snub' of RFK, Nats Even Struggling In Hollywood Circles

Baseball's return to Washington after a 34-year absence has been trumpeted internationally by the media this season.
But, it could appear, word has not reached planet Hollywood.

Last Sunday, producers of the new ABC series "Commander in Chief" filmed a scene in which star Geena Davis, playing the president of the United States, throws out the first pitch . . . at Baltimore's Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
To some, that was akin to shooting a stock market scene in Newark.
"Unless the show is a period piece, shouldn't they have reflected the new reality that baseball has returned to D.C.?" wondered Michael Epstein, a District resident who was at the Orioles game.
On the list of Washington snubs -- no representation in Congress; the constitutional banning of a commuter tax; the initial decision by cable station ESPN to bypass the District during its recent tour of the country's 50 states -- the TV taping might not rank particularly high.
But some fans at Sunday's game wondered why the television crew was not shooting the scene 35 miles south at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, where the Nationals were playing the St. Louis Cardinals.
"My question is," Epstein said, "why was this scene being filmed in Camden Yards when the appropriate place for such a scene would now be RFK Stadium, home of the Washington Nationals?"
A D.C. morning radio show was so outraged that the deejays unsuccessfully attempted to track down James Spies, a producer of "Commander in Chief," which premieres late this month.
Spies said he wants to set the record straight. The Baltimore staging was not intended to slight the District, he said, and, no, "Commander in Chief" did not shoot at Oriole Park because the show thought that ballpark was more beautiful than RFK.
The fact is, Spies said, one of the show's writers wanted to use RFK when the script was being written a few months ago. The production schedule, however, called for shooting during a week in mid-August when the Nationals were on a 13-day road trip.
So the producers, negotiating for stadium access with Major League Baseball, requested Oriole Park. When the production schedule was delayed by two weeks, the stadium shot was rescheduled for a day when both the Orioles and Nationals played at home. But by then, it was too late to change the preparations, Spies said.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/

Cubs won’t make coaches scapegoats

PITTSBURGH — The Cubs won’t make any decisions about their coaching staff until after the season, but manager Dusty Baker said Sunday it would be unfair to scapegoat any coach for the team’s disappointing season.
“We talked about it,” Baker said, referring to himself and general manager Jim Hendry. “We’re going to address it again. We’ve got three weeks to go in this month yet.”
The Cubs entered Sunday atop the National League in batting average but sixth in runs scored, last in walks and ninth in on-base percentage. Their pitchers were 10th in ERA. They had allowed the most walks in the NL but had struck out the second-most batters.
Baker isn’t calling for any changes, either with pitching coach Larry Rothschild or batting coach Gene Clines.
“I think that’s wrong because that way you’re placing blame on one department,” Baker said. “When you don’t win, you can point to a number of departments. We all feel responsible. Sometimes the players have to take some of the responsibility, too.
“To say that it’s one department … we lead the league in hitting but we’re not up there in runs. We’re near the bottom in defense. You can say, ‘Where does that lie?’ We’re in the second half of the league in pitching, so where does that lie? We’re at the top of the league in (allowing) walks, but we’re also at the top of the league in strikeouts, so there are pluses and minuses on both sides of the ball.”
Hendry said he would not “single out” blame.
“We’ve all had our share of not doing as well as we would have liked,” he said. “Some days you hit. Some days you don’t. We went through a stretch where we hit awfully well without men on base and we didn’t hit very well with men on base. It’s hard to blame that on a coach. I’m confident that our coaches have worked hard and tried to rectify a lot of our deficiencies. Sometimes we just haven’t overcome them.”
As far as Hendry and Baker go, they appear more than safe. Their contracts both expire at the end of the 2006 season, but both are a good bet to get extensions next year, perhaps before spring training.
A good catch: The Cubs signed catcher Henry Blanco to a two-year deal last winter to back up Michael Barrett. Blanco hit .206 with 10 homers for the Twins in 2004. This year, he’s at .250 with 5 homers and 21 RBI.
“We knew he could catch and throw,” Dusty Baker said. “He’s made some adjustments. He played a lot last year and didn’t hit as well as he’s hit this year. You know he has power. He’s basically a pull hitter. When you see him start to hit the ball to right field and up the middle, you know he’s improved his game.”
Barrett played 134 games last year, with Paul Bako as his backup. Sunday was Barrett’s 114th game of this season. After hitting .287 with 16 homers and 65 RBI a year ago, he’s at .228 with 14 homers and 54 RBI.
“It’s been a great complement having him and Michael,” Baker said. “You figure our catching together has 75 ribbies and 20 home runs and is hitting .275. Almost every team would take that as their overall production from their catcher unless you just have a straight offensive catcher.”
No word yet: Third baseman Aramis Ramirez has been on the disabled list since Aug. 25 with a strained left quadriceps. The Cubs are unsure whether they’ll reactivate him.
“That I don’t know,” Dusty Baker said. “They say he’s getting better. I’d like to see him play again to help us win and also for him to get 100 RBIs. You can’t hurt him in the meantime because he’s working harder now than probably ever.”
Sayonara Sammy: Some baseball people are speculating that former Cub Sammy Sosa won’t find any takers in the big leagues next year and that he’ll wind up in Japan. Despite suffering through a horrendous year at the plate in Baltimore, Sosa still is a revered figure in Japan, and he has a chance of earning big money there.
Hello Sergio: Right-hander Sergio Mitre is up from Class AAA Iowa. He’ll work out of the bullpen.

Source: http://www.dailyherald.com/

Garciaparra's Cub days look short-lived

PITTSBURGH -- The consensus belief is that the Cubs won't offer shortstop Nomar Garciaparra another contract in the offseason, unable to risk the chance that he can return in 2006 as the player he used to be after physical problems held him back the last two seasons.
The Cubs aren't prepared to say that directly with Garciaparra still playing for them, but manager Dusty Baker and general manager Jim Hendry agreed Sunday that rookie Ronny Cedeno could be on the verge of developing into the starting shortstop next year.
Hendry emphasized that Cedeno also can play second base, but the team's offseason plan likely will be to re-sign veteran infielder Neifi Perez and pair him at shortstop next season with Cedeno, who would get most of the starts as long as he fulfills his promise. Asked if Cedeno was close to being the full-time starter, Baker indicated that it could happen.
"He's pretty close to me,'' Baker said. "Yeah, he's real close. He can run. He can hit-and-run. He works hard and is respectful -- confident but not arrogant. He has to work on getting his throw truer. His throw now kind of runs into the runner. Those are things we have to work on and correct.
"I have always wanted to have a Rookie of the Year. I know how much it means to the organization and the person because I could have been Rookie of the Year and wasn't. He's going to be a fine player. It's a matter of when we have to clear a spot for him, and do we hold somebody in reserve in case he doesn't do it?''
Perez seems perfectly suited for that role.
"Ronny has learned a lot from Neifi,'' Baker said. "It's hard to play better shortstop defensively than Neifi has.''
Hendry agreed that Cedeno looks to be on the fast track toward being a starter in 2006.
"If he continues to progress, he has a good shot of playing for us next year,'' Hendry said. "He can play second or shortstop.
''It'd be foolish now to decide where he is going to play and who we might sign or re-sign. We all feel he is ready to be an every-day player.''
NO HOUSE CLEANING: Baker reiterated that he would like to see all of his coaches re-signed for 2006. He already has broached the subject with Hendry.
"We have talked about it, and we're going to address it again,'' Baker said.
While no decision on rehiring coaches will come down until after the season, Baker was asked if he feared one or more coaches would have to go after an underachieving season.
"That's wrong,'' Baker said. "That way you are placing blame on one department. When you don't win, you can point to a number of departments. We are all responsible. Sometimes the players have to take some of the responsibility, too.''
After the 2004 season, third-base coach Wendell Kim was fired and hitting coach Gary Matthews was demoted to first-base coach.
"I'm not here to single out blame in any area,'' Hendry said. "We have all had our share of not doing as well as we'd like. Our coaches have worked hard to correct some of our deficiencies, and sometimes we haven't overcome them.''
BARNSTORMING: Keep your ears open around baseball, and you can hear some people speculating that former Cubs star Sammy Sosa will be lucky to get minor-league contract offers in the offseason after the poor season he has had in Baltimore. Any club offering him even $1 million to $2 million for 2006 seems a stretch.
So what will Sosa do? Some believe he will sign a contract to play next year in Japan, where he is still a bona fide celebrity.
As far as money is concerned, it appears Japan would be more lucrative for Sosa than any deal he might muster up in the majors. It could be sayonara to Sosa in the big leagues.

Source: http://www.suntimes.com/

Gibbons Tinkers, Gets Hot

BOSTON, Sept. 4 -- Baltimore Orioles outfielder Jay Gibbons had become so frustrated by his season about a month ago, he experimented with an open batting stance for several weeks. That seemed to allow Gibbons to see the ball better, but it also made him vulnerable to outside pitches.
"At times it worked well," he said. "Once [pitchers] figured out you couldn't go the other way, they exploited that."

So once again Gibbons closed his stance, though he did not return to his original stance, and hoped for better results. They finally came.
"This probably is a little different, something new," Gibbons said. "I'll ride it as long as I can."
Gibbons has started to get hot at the plate. His two hits on Sunday raised his average to .270. He has hit four home runs in the past seven games, and is now second on the team, behind shortstop Miguel Tejada, with 21 home runs.
"I've been working with my mechanics," Gibbons said. "They seem to be a little bit more sound."
In Search of Sosa
Manager Sam Perlozzo said he doesn't know when Sammy Sosa will return to the lineup because the team hasn't been able to reach the outfielder. Perlozzo said trainer Richie Bancells has left several messages for Sosa and none has been returned.
Sosa was placed on the disabled list on Aug. 28 -- retroactive to Aug. 26 -- with a lesion on his right big toe. He is eligible to come off the DL on Sept. 10.
"It's not a big deal," Perlozzo said about Sosa's lack of communication. "We're just checking in with him." . . .
After missing 53 games with a sprained left thumb, Geronimo Gil finally returned to the lineup. Gil, placed on the DL on July 3, started at catcher on Sunday for Baltimore.
"I was very anxious," Gil said. "The finger doesn't bother me. The swing is fine."
Gil sprained his thumb on a swing on June 4 but continued to play. He aggravated the injury on July 2 while catching.
"When I sprained the thumb I kept playing and that probably kept me out," Gil said. "If I had stopped playing at that time I probably would have come back quicker."
Gil was hitless in three at-bats, though he was robbed by Boston third baseman Bill Mueller, who made a diving catch of a line drive in the third. . . .
Eric DuBose has pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings after his demotion to the bullpen last week.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/

Sharapova reaches quarters as Mirza run ends

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Top seed Maria Sharapova ended the historic run of Indian teenager Sania Mirza at the U.S. Open on Sunday with a comprehensive 6-2 6-1 victory.

Mirza, the first Indian woman to reach the fourth round of a grand slam tournament, traded crunching groundstrokes with the Russian world number two but was gradually overpowered.
Sharapova broke Mirza to lead 4-2 in the first set and then fended off three break points in the next game to build a commanding lead over the world number 42.
The second set was one-way traffic as the 2004
Wimbledon champion sped to a victory that set up a quarter-final with fellow Russian Nadia Petrova.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/

Palmeiro has MRI, won't be at Fenway

BOSTON - The crowds at Fenway Park won't have Rafael Palmeiro to kick around this weekend.

The Orioles first baseman will remain in Baltimore after undergoing a magnetic resonance imaging test on his sore right knee. Executive vice president Jim Beattie said the MRI didn't reveal any new damage, but Palmeiro hasn't been cleared to play. He'll rejoin the team for Monday's game against Toronto at Camden Yards.
Palmeiro is bothered by an arthritic condition that was aggravated in Toronto, causing him to miss the last two games of the series. He also has a slight strain behind the knee, and a sore right ankle that prevents him from running at full speed.
In seven games since his suspension was lifted, Palmeiro is 2-for-26 with one RBI to leave his overall average at .266. Both hits came on Aug. 16.
Palmeiro went 0-for-4 in his only game in Toronto, and he wore earplugs after his first at-bat in an attempt to block out the boos. The reception from Boston fans figured to be worse.
The Orioles have another health issue besides Palmeiro's knee. Reliever James Baldwin fainted in the restroom on the team charter Thursday night and was admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital last night as a precaution.
Baldwin was taken to the emergency room and released Thursday, but doctors for the Orioles and the hospital agreed he should return for more tests.
Union waits in Ponson case A member of the players association said nothing has changed in regard to pitcher Sidney Ponson, who was placed on unconditional release waivers by the Orioles on Thursday for the purpose of terminating his contract.
The players association is expected to file a grievance on Ponson's behalf, as it did over the winter for Colorado Rockies pitcher Denny Neagle after his arrest for solicitation of prostitution. The Orioles cited conduct that violated the terms of Ponson's Uniform Players Contract, including three arrests since December. They're trying to relieve themselves of the $10 million left on his contract, including $7.5 million next year.
No action will be taken by the players association until Ponson clears waivers. Orioles union representative Jay Gibbons is expected to contact the union.
A source said Ponson traveled to California this week.
Byrdak down, Kline steps up Left-hander Tim Byrdak played catch yesterday to test his sore shoulder, and he'll attempt a bullpen session today before determining when he can pitch again.
The Orioles haven't used Byrdak since Sunday against the Oakland Athletics, when he allowed three runs and retired only one hitter. He also walked three, and later complained of tightness behind the shoulder.
"It kind of just locked up," said Byrdak, who's 0-1 with a 4.79 ERA in 26 games. "The biggest thing is to give medication and get everything loosened up and relieve the pressure."
With Byrdak unavailable, interim manager Sam Perlozzo must trust left-hander Steve Kline in more pressurized situations. So far, Kline hasn't let him down.

Source: http://www.baltimoresun.com/