Kleenex sales went through the roof the week that the 2011 MLB All-Star Game rosters were announced. That’s because from coast to coast, everyone from media pundits to MLB managers were crying about some of Bruce Bochy’s choices for the NL squad. Two skippers in particular, the Marlins’ Jack McKeon and the Pirates’ Clint Hurdle, were publicly vocal about Bochy’s perceived favoritism to some of his own players.

I wonder what McKeon and Hurdle have to say now after the National League downed their AL counterparts 5-1 on Tuesday night. Granted, the victory was largely thanks to Prince Fielder’s three-run dinger, some solid pitching performances by the NL staff, as well as the unavailability of some of the AL’s best pitchers. But just like in the 2010 postseason, Bochy managed yet another perfect game. He was aggressive on the base paths (particularly in the fifth inning when Angels reliever Jordan Walden took the hill), he made all the right moves with his pitching staff and he played the matchups incredibly well. He also didn’t even use Tim Lincecum or Ryan Volgelsong (two pitchers in which Bochy was accused of showing favoritism), and wouldn’t have used closer Brian Wilson in the ninth had Starlin Castro and Joel Harahan not allowed two runners to reach base.

If the Marlins or Pirates somehow manage to make the World Series this year, they’ll be the host team thanks in part to Bochy. Any chance that McKeon or Hurdle pick up the phone in that instance and show their appreciation for Bochy’s hard work over the last week with the NL All-Star team?

More Quick-Hits for Wednesday:

- James Harrison shared, uh, some interesting takes on Roger Goodell in the August issue of Men’s Journal. James used the words, “crook,” “devil,” “stupid,” “puppet,” and “dictator,” while describing Goodell, then threw in an anti-gay slur for good measure. “If that man was on fire and I had to piss to put him out, I wouldn’t do it,” Harrison told the magazine. “I hate him and will never respect him.” Tell us how you really feel Eminem James.

- I wish FOX had mic’d the head groundskeeper for Tuesday night’s All-Star Game because I would have loved to have heard what he said after watching Padres closer Heath Bell tear a big divot out of the infield when he slid into the mound. “Thanks a**hole, you know someone has to repair that right? Couldn’t have ran onto the field like a normal human being, huh?”

- Don’t expect the Mets to trade Carlos Beltran as fast as they did K-Rod. Not with Jose Reyes, David Wright and Ike Davis all injured. And I don’t think Beltran is a sure-bet to land in ‘Frisco either. If I’m Scott Boras, I’m telling my client to choose an American League team to waive his no-trade clause for, so that he can show his stuff as a DH for next year.

- Apparently Mike Shanahan is set on John Beck as his starter in 2011. That makes sense considering that when he benched Donovan McNabb last year, he immediately inserted Beck as the starter to get him ready for this season. Wait…what?

- I can’t wait for the NFL lockout to end so I can see how quickly teams sign free agents. Because I refuse to believe that these teams haven’t somehow been in contact with these players throughout the last couple of months. I know league rules prohibit teams from trying to contact players, but come on – this is the NFL. You know these teams have been sneaking around for months now. It’ll be interesting to see how much time elapses from when the lockout officially ends until when a team signs that first new free agent. If it’s more than 12 hours, I’ll be shocked.

When you’ve been served with a restraining order that prohibits you from making contact with the girlfriend whose father you allegedly assaulted, it’s probably not a good idea to violate it by sending her 56 unanswered text messages in the weeks following the incident.

Or tell her that she’s playing the puppet in her parents’ marionette show, for that matter.

But such is the life of Mets’ closer Francisco Rodriguez, who allegedly assaulted his girlfriend’s father in the club’s family lounge in mid-August, and who is now being charged with criminal contempt on top of his previous charges of third-degree assault and harassment.

According to a report by the Los Angeles Times, K-Rod sent 56 text messages to his girlfriend in recent weeks, which violated a restraining order that he received following his attack on her father. Below are some of the text messages that he sent her.

“I know this message will get me in trouble, but I’ve already lost my kids… . Let’s find a solution to this conflict.”

“Your parents are manipulating you like a marionette.”

“I understand perhaps I made a mistake, the biggest mistake of my life. But I love you.”

Perhaps you made a mistake? I say that when I put too much seasoning on my barbecue chicken. If I had just beaten up my girlfriend’s father inside my team’s facilities, I would be texting: “See you when I get out of jail – hugs and kisses to the kids.”

Furthermore, I probably wouldn’t tell her that her parents are manipulating her – especially after I had just got done shoving her dad around. I wasn’t there, so maybe Rodriguez was justified in doing what he did. But I don’t think there’s any reason to proceed with domestic violence in any situation unless you’re defending yourself, which it doesn’t sound like K-Rod was.

Dude needs some help.

After punching his girlfriend’s father in the family room of the team’s clubhouse last week, Mets’ closer Francisco Rodriguez will need surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb.

He could be a little lighter in the wallet soon, too.

According to SI.com’s Jon Heyman, the Mets are looking into voiding K-Rod’s contract on the grounds that he injured himself outside of the course of play. Seeing as how he’s set to make $11.5 million in 2011 and $17.5 million in 2012 (which also includes a $3.5 million buyout), voiding the closer’s contract would create a ton of financial relief for New York.

But voiding his contract won’t be an easy task for the Mets, who first need to get past the player’s union. The move could also hurt them in future deals with free agents who don’t want to play for a team that goes after players’ money (even if said player was being an idiot).

Another option the Mets have is going after K-Rod’s remaining 2010 salary. They obviously won’t get as much financial relief in that scenario, but every little bit helps.

Either way, they have a daunting task ahead of them and Rodriguez has certainly put them in an incredible bind. While it’s too early to suggest that the Mets will rid themselves of him entirely, don’t count out an outright release.

According to a report by the New York Post, Mets’ closer Francisco Rodriguez was arrested at Citi Field on Wednesday after he went nutso on his father-in-law.

The blowup occurred just minutes after the Mets’ bullpen cost the team another game in the eighth inning in a game against the Rockies. Manager Jerry Manuel decided not to use K-Rod for a four-out save, instead using Manny Acosta, who promptly gave up a two-out granny to Colorado’s Melvin Mora.

Rodriguez, nicknamed K-Rod for his many strikeouts, allegedly clashed with the 53-year-old man at around 10:15 p.m. amid other players’ families after the Mets blew a lead to the Colorado Rockies and lost, 6-2.

The 28-year-old record-holder for most saves in a single-season was arrested and charged with assault.

“Mind your own f—king business!” the irate pitcher spewed at reporters asking about the incident.

His father-in-law, whose name was withheld, was taken to Flushing Hospital with facial bruises and a head bump.

Cops wouldn’t say whether Rodriguez is accused of slugging or shoving his wife’s father.

Let’s not jump to conclusions here – fights happen for a variety of reasons. One would think that there’s nothing that could get a son-in-law so mad that he would punch or shove his father-in-law, but maybe K-Rod’s father-in-law made fun of the goofy goggles that K-Rod wears. Who knows?

The main story here is how big of a mess the Mets are once again. Johan Santana is being accused of impregnating a woman after assaulting her on a golf course and now K-Rod is beating up family members in the clubhouse. This team went into the All-Star break feeling pretty good about life and now they’re a filthy disaster again.

Ah, the Mets.

Update: Check that, ESPN.com is now reporting that the beaten man was K-Rod’s girlfriend’s father and not his father-in-law. Either way, that’s not the best way to impress your girl.

In order to help get you ready for the MLB season, we’re doing division-by-division rankings with quick overviews on how each club could fair in 2010. Next to each team, you’ll also find a corresponding number written in parenthesis, which indicates where we believe that club falls in a league-wide power ranking. Be sure to check back throughout the next two weeks leading up to the season, as we will be updating our content daily. Enjoy.

All 2010 MLB Preview Content | AL East Preview | AL Central Preview | AL West Preview | NL East | NL Central | NL West

Next up is the NL East.

1. Philadelphia Phillies (2)
Much like the Yankees in the American League, it’s hard to find bad things to say about the Phillies. They’re the three-time defending NL East champions and considering they’re ready to bring back the same core of players that got them to the World Series the past two years, there’s no reason to doubt them. Oh, and they added Roy Halladay. Roy, I’m going to dominate your face for nine innings, Halladay. If Cole Hamels rebounds and J.A. Happ’s 2009 wasn’t a fluke, the Phillies won’t suffer a setback this season. In fact, the pitching doesn’t even have to be that great with the likes of Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez taking up the first six spots in the order. The problem, however, is that Hamels might not bounce back and Happ’s ’09 season may have been a fluke. There’s also that nagging Brad Lidge closer issue that could haunt this club as well. That said, odds are that the Fighting Phils will be right back at the top of the NL East again this season. They’re too good, too talented and too experienced to fold and they have a great chance to reclaim their title back from the Yankees.

2. Atlanta Braves (11)
A lot of pundits are high on the Braves this year – and for good reason. In Jair Jurrjens, Tommy Hanson, Tim Hudson, Derek Lowe and Kenshin Kawakami, their starting rotation is one of the best in the National League. Atlanta has the starting pitching to go toe to toe with the Phillies in the division, but the real question is whether or not they have enough offense. Top prospect Jason Heyward looks as good as advertised, but if he’s not ready to produce then Atlanta’s corner outfield situation is questionable at best. This club has a nice blend of young and veteran hitters, including Heyward, Brian McCann, Nate McLouth, Chipper Jones, Yunel Escobar, Martin Prado and Troy Glaus, but they’re one or two big injuries away from falling to the middle of the pack in the National League. This club has more than enough talent to push the Phillies in the division and as of now, are the early favorites to win the NL Wild Card. But players like Jones, Glaus and Billy Wagner have to stay healthy and produce or else the Braves will fail to live up to expectations this season.

3. Florida Marlins (18)
The Marlins are usually pretty easy to project nowadays. They’re always slightly better than what you think they’ll be, but just not as good to rank ahead of some of the more talented teams in the National League. Hanley Ramirez continues to be one of the best players in the game and his supporting cast (Josh Johnson, Chris Coghlan, Dan Uggla and Ricky Nolasco) isn’t bad either. In fact, Ramirez and Johnson are reason alone to go to the ballpark on a weekly basis. But unless players like Cameron Maybin, Jorge Cantu, Emilio Bonifacio (who was confused for Ricky Henderson for about three games at the start of last season) and prospect Logan Morrison produce, then the Marlins will fall to the middle of the pack this year in the NL. Still, while they’re not as talented as the Mets, over the last seven years they’ve won more games and have spent nearly $600 million less over that span. For whatever reason, Florida always finds a way to be competitive with their young roster and while I don’t think they have enough to succeed in the end, I wouldn’t be shocked if they made a run at the Wild Card again like they did last year.

4. New York Mets (20)
If I were a Mets fan, I would have tried to take a bath with one of my kitchen appliances by now. I don’t mean any disrespect – I’m just concerned with their well being after watching this team underachieve over and over and over again. Every year this club has talent and every year they find a way – whether it be through poor managing, injuries or what have you – to screw it up. The Mets have enough star power in David Wright, Jose Reyes (when healthy), Jason Bay, Johan Santana, Francisco Rodriguez and Carlos Beltran to succeed, but bad luck, incompetence in the front office and poor fundamental play always sinks this club. Then again, bad luck won’t have anything to do with why the Mets will fail this year. Simply put, they don’t have enough starting pitching to succeed. There’s no guarantee that Santana will be 100% all season and after him, the rest of the rotation is under whelming to say the least. Sorry Met fans, but the torture looks like it’ll continue for at least another year.

5. Washington Nationals (29)
There are plenty of people high on the Nationals this season, but I’m having a hard time taking a leap of faith. I realize the additions of Jason Marquis, Brian Bruney, Matt Capps and Ivan Rodriguez filled needs, but let’s not confuse these players with Catfish Hunter, Johnny Sain, Dennis Eckersley and, well, Ivan Rodriguez in their primes. I think this club has improved, but some publications believe they’ll finish third in the division and I just don’t see it. Stephen Strasburg isn’t quite ready to save the day yet and therefore the rotation is still similar to the one that allowed 874 runs last year. Marquis should help, but the end of the rotation is scary and Capps might be the only reliever that winds up with a sub 4.00 ERA by the end of the year. While there is hope on the horizon in the form of Strasburg, the Nats just don’t have enough overall talent to get out of the basement of the NL East.

Photo from fOTOGLIF
]]> http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/03/25/2010-mlb-preview-nl-east/feed/ 0 http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/06/15/k-rod-yankees%e2%80%99-reliever-bruney-almost-brawl-before-game/ http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/06/15/k-rod-yankees%e2%80%99-reliever-bruney-almost-brawl-before-game/#comments Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:25:17 +0000 Anthony Stalter http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=20016

Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez isn’t a big fan of Yankees reliever Brian Bruney – or his big mouth.

Bruney has pitched only once for New York since April 21 because of a strained elbow. He tossed a perfect inning Saturday in a rehab appearance for Double-A Trenton.

Afterward, he was asked about the Yankees’ wild win over the Mets on Friday night, when second baseman Luis Castillo dropped Alex Rodriguez’s two-out popup in the ninth inning. The error allowed two runs to score, giving the Yankees a 9-8 victory and handing K-Rod his first blown save in 17 chances this season.

“Unbelievable. I’ve never seen anything like that. I have, but in high school,” Bruney said. “It couldn’t happen to a better guy on the mound, either. He’s got a tired act.”

After converting a save, Francisco Rodriguez often pounds his chest and points to the sky while letting out a roar.

Rodriguez shouted at the New York Yankees reliever during batting practice Sunday and the two were separated by teammates one day after they exchanged pointed jabs through the media.

Bruney called Rodriguez’s exuberant celebrations on the mound a “tired act,” and K-Rod said he didn’t know who the injured right-hander was before advising him to “keep his mouth shut.”

In video footage on the YES Network, an angry Rodriguez could be seen pointing at Bruney from a few feet away before Yankees reliever Jose Veras stepped between them in left field.

Bruney held his ground and appeared to say little, if anything. Mets pitcher Mike Pelfrey got in front of Rodriguez and escorted him away.

“I was probably 10 feet away and I just saw K-Rod pointing and raising his voice,” Pelfrey said, “and I just came over and grabbed him and I said ‘C’mon, lets go in.’ He was upset I guess.”

After Bruney said what he did, if K-Rod was approached about the comments all he would have had to say was, “Who the hell is Brian Bruney?”

1. Sabathia, Teixeira choke on applesauce in debuts
The Yankees’ two big offseason free agent signings got off to rough starts yesterday as CC Sabathia allowed six runs on eight hits in just 4.1 innings of work and Mark Teixeira went 0-4 in NY’s 10-5 loss to the O’s. Sabathia didn’t strike out one batter as his control looked completely out of whack and Teixeira left five men on base. Who knew spending gobs of money doesn’t guarantee initial success?

2. Tony Clark and Felipe Lopez: The New Bash Brothers
Clark and Lopez each went deep yesterday…twice. What’s amazing about the feat (besides the fact that Tony Clark and Felipe Lopez each hit two home runs in the same game) is that they were the first pair of switch-hitting teammates to homer from both sides of the plate in a game since Jorge Posada and Bernie Williams did if ro the Yankees on April 23, 2000. The D’Backs edged NL West rival Colorado 8-7.

3. Looks like Hanley Ramirez will be okay in the three-hole
Generally a leadoff hitter in previous seasons, the Marlins moved shortstop Hanley Ramirez into the three-hole this year and he responded on Opening Day by hitting his first career grand slam in the Fish’s 12-6 victory over the Nats. Ramirez also had an RBI double and walked. I know it was only the first game of 162, but Ramirez looked awfully comfortable at the plate.

4. Have the Mets solved their bullpen woes?
It was only one game, but the Mets had to be absolutely ecstatic with the way Sean Green, and newly acquired setup man J.J. Putz and new closer Francisco Rodriguez shut the door on the Reds yesterday. The trio didn’t give up any runs or hits in 3.1 innings of relief work as New York topped Cincinnati 2-1. Again, it was only one game but the considering how bad the Mets’ pen was last year, it’s an encouraging start.

5. The Tigers are going to be bad again this year
It’s a bad sign when you start the season losing 12-5 against the Blue Jays. It’s even worse when your supposed ace only lasts 3.2 innings in his first start. The Tigers’ Justin Verlander was absolutely rocked in his debut, allowing eight runs on eight hits in under four innings of work. The lineup wasn’t bad for Detroit, but their pitching looks like a major weakness yet again.

6. Welcome to 2009, Cliff Lee
One of the better stories in baseball last year was Cliff Lee’s 22-win season. But it’s clearly not 2008 anymore because Cleveland’s ace was shelled yesterday in Texas, allowing seven earned runs on 10 hits in just five innings of work. The final blow was Hank Blalock’s 3-run shot off him in the fifth, which gave the Rangers a 7-0 lead in route to a 9-1 victory.