Category: MLB (Page 401 of 448)

As Bobby Howry was working on giving up four runs in the ninth inning to erase an 8-3 lead for the Cubs against the Rockies Monday night, a fan ran out to the mound and actually asked him, “What are you doing?”

Howry and the Cubs eventually won the game, but as SPORTSbyBROOKS discovered, the real news is that the Bears might have found a replacement for Tank Johnson. Check out the take down by one of the Cubs’ security guards:

On a related note how about the announcer in the YouTube.com clip? First he forgets Lou Pinella’s name, then called him a drunk because he has “rosy red cheeks” then dropped this little ditty at the end of the clip: “Maybe if they stopped selling him 10 bottles of beer at Wrigley Field, he wouldn’t get so hammered on that cheap, piss beer they have at Wrigley Field. They encourage him to drink and then he runs on to the field, what do you expect?”

Uh, there are thousands of fans who drink nightly at ballparks across America and not everyone runs out onto the field there champ.

Former Giant, Cub, Red Sox and Padre reliever Rod Beck was found dead in his home Saturday. The cause of death is yet to be determined, but he was 38.

Many former players, coaches and media members have noted how Beck was always a popular person in the clubhouse, and certainly loved by fans (especially in San Francisco). He also battled some personal demons, however, which was evident when he had to leave the Padres in 2004 for a two-month stint in drug rehab.

The former closer saved 286 games in his career. If you want to read a great article on what kind of man Beck was, check out Scott Ostler’s piece in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Joe Girardi cited timing and family as main reasons why he turned down the Baltimore Orioles manager job on Thursday.

Girardi also said the decision had nothing to do with the New York Yankees, but that’s rather hard to believe. One has to believe with the Yankees (albeit hot now) off to a rather flat first half and Joe Torre in a contract year, that Girardi doesn’t want to miss an opportunity to coach in the Bronx. If the Yankees continue to rebound in the second half, win a title and Torre re-ups, fine, Girardi will still have suitors heading into 2008. But if NY falters this year, then Girardi makes it known he’s available to George Steinnybigwallet and he might get a crack at one of his dream jobs.

Plus hey, lets be honest, it’s not like the Baltimore job is a highly attractive one anyway, so maybe Girardi really didn’t base the decision on the Yankees.

Owner Tom Hicks said Wednesday that while he doesn’t have any knowledge that former Texas Rangers outfielder Juan Gonzalez used steroids, he does have his suspicions.

“I have no knowledge that Juan used steroids. His number of injuries and early retirement just makes me suspicious,” Hicks wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press on Wednesday. “In any event, we paid him $24 million for very few games.”

“Juan Gonzalez for $24 million after he came off steroids, probably, we just gave that money away,” Hicks said in the interview, aired Sunday night on KTVT-TV in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Hicks almost sounds upset “Juan Gone” wasn’t on steroids when the Rangers inked him to that big contract doesn’t he? Like damn it, we shelled out $24 mil for this guy and he wasn’t even on the juice? What the hell?