Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 809 of 1503)

      Padres to call up top prospect Kyle Blanks

      June 19, 2009 /

      According to a report by Baseball America, the Padres have promoted top hitting prospect Kyle Blanks to the big leagues and should join the club soon. The 22-year old was hitting .283 in Triple-A Portland in the Pacific Coast league with 12 dingers, nine doubles and 38 RBIs.

      While he’s not considered a Grade-A prospect, Blanks can hit and the Padres wouldn’t be calling to ride the pine. San Diego is desperate for offense, even more so now that top pitchers Jake Peavy and Chris Young are on the disabled list and the club expected to be trailing in most ballgames.

      There’s also a good chance that this call could just be temporary. San Diego is set to host Oakland for a three game series and the A’s are expected to throw three left-handers (Josh Outman, Brett Anderson and Dallas Braden), so maybe the Pads look at this weekend has a great chance to see what Blanks has while giving Adrian Gonzalez a day or two off at first base. Not that Gonzo can’t hit left-handed pitching, but if San Diego wanted to give him a breather, now would be the time.

      Another possibility is that the Padres could be set to make a move soon. It’s quite possible that San Diego is getting ready to deal one of its outfielders (Chase Headley?) and will employ Blanks in left field. Or, if the Padres feel confident enough that Blanks can play third base, maybe the club has a deal in place to trade Kevin Kouzmanoff.

      If I’m thinking too out of the box in terms of trades, maybe Blanks will help in the outfield until Scott Hairston comes off the DL and then subsequently be sent back down to Triple-A.

      Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Woods struggling at U.S. Open, shoots a 74 in Round 1

      June 19, 2009 /

      After rain delayed the opening round of the 2009 U.S. Open on Thursday, play resumed on Friday and perennial favorite Tiger Woods is off to a brutal start.

      Woods shot a 74 in Round 1, which leaves him 4-over-par after his first day. The 74 marks his second worst start ever at the U.S. Open, with his worst coming in 2006 when he shot a 76 in the opening round.

      For comparison, when Woods won the U.S. Open in 2000 he shot a 65 in the opening round and when he won again in 2002, he shot a 67 in Round 1. Compared to his 74 this year, he would appear to have his work cut out for him, but don’t forget he shot a 72 in Round 1 last year and won his third-career U.S. Open so he’s not out of it – not by a long shot.

      As of this post, Drew Weaver and Graeme McDowell lead all play with 69, but not all golfers have wrapped up play yet in the first round. So considering he’s only five shots back of the leaders with 54 holes to play, Woods has a ton of time to make up ground.

      Check out the Official Site of the U.S. Open for updated scores and more on this year’s event.

      Golf

      Will Stallworth play this season?

      June 19, 2009 /

      In the wake of his decision to plead guilty to DUI manslaughter, Browns receiver Donte Stallworth was suspended indefinitely by the NFL on Thursday and will now have to wait until commissioner Roger Goodell decides how long that suspension will last.

      An indefinite suspension could mean a lot of things. Michael Vick was suspended indefinitely for being imprisoned on federal dog-fighting charges and is still waiting to hear how long his suspension will actually last. Adam “Pacman” Jones was suspended indefinitely last October after fighting with a bodyguard in a hotel bathroom and only received four games.

      But chances are, indefinitely means at least one season for Stallworth. In Goodell’s written letter to Stallworth about the suspension the commish wrote, “Your conduct reflected in your guilty plea resulted in the tragic loss of life and was inexcusable.”

      That doesn’t sound like a man who’s ready to suspend a player only four or six games. This is just speculation on my part, but I’m willing to bet that Stallworth serves at least a 16-game suspension and has to sit out the entire 2009 season.

      If he is out the entire season, the Browns did a nice job this offseason preparing for Stallworth’s absence. They drafted Ohio State wideout Brian Robiskie and Georgia receiver Mohamed Massaquoi in the second round of April’s draft and also signed free agent Mike Furrey. For now, everything also looks copacetic with Braylon Edwards, who at one point or another could have been traded this offseason.

      It’ll be interesting to see what kind of suspension Goodell hands down but either way, the Browns are prepared and they’ll be able to save a decent amount of money if he is suspended for a significant amount of time.

      NFL

      Manny to begin rehab assignment soon

      June 19, 2009 /

      The Los Angeles Times writes that Manny Ramirez is scheduled to join the Dodgers’ Triple-A squad on Tuesday and begin his rehab assignment.

      Ramirez, who will be eligible to play again for the Dodgers on July 3, can play in as many as 10 minor league games at the end of his 50-game suspension for violating baseball’s drug policy.

      According to preliminary plans Ramirez and the Dodgers made Thursday morning, he will be in Albuquerque for a four-game series against Nashville.

      Ramirez will be off June 27 and report to Class-A Inland Empire the next day. He will play in as many as three games for Inland Empire from June 28-30.

      He will work out with the Dodgers on July 1, travel with them July 2 and play in the first game of a three-game series in San Diego on July 3.

      It’s amazing that the end of Manny’s 50-game suspension is already near. At the start of it, everyone wondered how the Dodgers would fare without him and the results are in: GREAT.

      The Dodgers currently have the best record in baseball and remain a whopping nine games above the Giants in the NL West. They’re essentially doing their best Angels impersonation, because they’re going to wrap up their division by late July or early August.

      That said, it’ll be interesting to see what kind of effect Manny has on the clubhouse. Considering they’re winning, I assume that the effect will be minimum to positive. I can’t see how adding his bat to their lineup will be a bad thing.

      MLB

      If Favre signs with Minnesota, will Jackson get the boot?

      June 18, 2009 /

      Vikings owner Zygi Wilf told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that it’s up to Brett Favre whether or not Minnesota signs Brett Favre, so essentially the team is waiting on Brett Favre. (Brett Favre.)

      While Minnesota waits to hear whether or not Favre is healthy enough to come back (apparently he threw at a local high school recently and still had pain), Vikings beat writer Judd Zulgad wonders aloud if the team would release Tarvaris Jackson if good ol’ No. 4 comes aboard.

      In a recent chat, Zulgad said that he wouldn’t be surprised if Jackson got the axe if Favere were signed. The fourth year player is in his final year of his contract and the Vikings apparently don’t want to cut former USC QB John David Booty because they like his potential. Plus, the Vikes traded for Sage Rosenfels in the offseason, so that would leave Jackson on the outside looking in.

      Whether the Brett Favres sign the Vikings or not, it looks like Jackson’s time in Minnesota is running out. If the team still had confidence in him, they wouldn’t have traded for Rosenfels and wouldn’t be so hell bent on signing Favre if they thought Jackson could still have a bright future in Minnesota.

      Maybe Jackson should be secretly hoping for a release. He would certainly catch on somewhere and sometimes a change of scenery is exactly what a struggling player needs. He has always been talented, but he remains unpolished despite entering his fourth season. Maybe a different setting and a good coaching staff could get Jackson to realize his potential.

      Brett Favre.

      NFL

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