Around the Horn - 3/31

Nice try kid. They kept ya out of school for nothing.

Plenty of opening days did go off today, and last night. How about Ryan Zimmerman of the Nationals breaking in the new ball park with a walk off home run last night against the Braves.

It only took the Tigers Miguel Cabrera two at-bats to hit his first American League home run. Justin Verlander only allowed 1 hit through 5 innings, then blew a 3-0 lead. The game is now in extra innings.

The White Sox Mark Buehrle must be looking for a do over. The Indians tagged him for 7 runs in just 2 2-3 innings. Jim Thome has smacked a pair of 2-run homers off of C.C. Sabathia. Thome had been 0-11 against him entering the game.

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Around the Horn - 3/24

Some crucial injuries have hit late in spring training. Tigers five-tool man Curtis Granderson was hit in the right hand by a pitch from the Phils' Travis Blackley. Granderson suffered a broken finger and is expected to miss 3 weeks. Brandon Inge will take his place in centerfield for the time being.

The good news for the Blue Jays is that Scott Rolen's balky shoulder isn't bothering him. The bad news is that he broke the tip of his middle finger on his throwing hand during a fielding drill yesterday. Rolen could miss 4-5 weeks. Super sub Marco Scutaro will fill in for now.

Brewers left-hander Chris Capuano got some very bad news. He's got a torn UCL in his left shoulder, which means he'll most likely need a second Tommy John surgery.

A sore shoulder will keep the Braves' John Smoltz on the DL to start the season, but he could make his first start on April 6.

While Granderson may be bummed, his new teammate Miguel Cabrera is all smiles. The all-star slugger has reached preliminary agreement with the Tigers on a 7-yr extension worth $152 million.

John Patterson, released by the Washington Nationals last week, has agreed to a deal with the Texas Rangers. Imagine that, the Rangers making a good move with pitching.

Shannon Stewart has won the starting left field job for the Blue Jays, which means hard nosed, fan favorite, Reed Johnson is out of a job. The Blue Jays released him over the weekend.

The Twins are close to signing closer Joe Nathan to a 4-year extension. Nathan's agent is meeting with club officials today.

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Around the Horn - 3/10

The annual spring training aches and pains are starting to kick in. Red Sox ace Josh Beckett left his last start after 1 pitch due to back spasms. Teammate Coco Crisp has been limited by a sore groin.

The Rockies' Luis Vizcaino returned to the mound on Sunday after missing time with a sore elbow (another victim of Torre overuse?).

The Marlins' Scott Olsen played catcher on Saturday after missing time with a sore shoulder.

The Phillies' Brad Lidge is working his way back from knee surgery. He threw 25 pitches today.

Texas Rangers pitcher Brandon McCarthy got bad news; he'll be out 4-6 weeks with severe inflammation in his forearm. The Rangers also signed Sidney Ponson to a minor league deal this weekend. What could they be thinking?

Jordan Tata of the Detroit Tigers violated the Kevin Brown-Julian Taverez rule; do not punch hard objects. Tata broke a knuckle after getting upset at 3 straight rough outings. He also has a sore shoulder too boot.

Do not adjust your monitor: Ichiro Suzuki really is 0-14 this spring.

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Around the Horn - 3/6

Serious news out of Cardinals' camp. Team doctor George Paletta says Albert Pujols has a high grade tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. The tear seems to have also caused bone spurs, inflammation and arthritis in the joint. Pujols will need Tommy John surgery if and when the ligament finally gives out.

Rondell White earned the nickname RonDL because of his frequent inactivity due to injuries. Well, pretty soon Moises Alou may be known as Moises DLou. The Mets left fielder didn't even wait until the regular season to make his 1st trip to the disabled list this year. Alou is set to undergo hernia surgery and is out 4-6 weeks. The Mets HAVE to be looking for a right-handed bat.

Bartolo Colon had his 2nd positive bullpen throwing session and is on track to make his first spring start for Boston March 15.

When will the Rays finally cut bait with Rocco Baldelli? Baldelli was too sore to DH today after playing last on Tuesday. Is there such a thing as a hamstring transplant?

According to SI's Jon Heyman, the White Sox and Giants continue to discuss a Joe Crede deal, but so far can't agree on the players involved.

According to a source of Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal, White Sox 1st Baseman Paul Konerko can still be had in a trade.

The Mets' Johan Santana bounced back from a rocky 1st outing with a solid 3 inning performance on Wednesday. The ace left-hander allowed a run on 2 hits, while walking 1 and striking out 4.

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Around the Horn - 3/3

Jon Heyman is reporting that talks are heating up again concerning a Brian Roberts deal between the Orioles and Cubs.

The Giants' Noah Lowery had a Monday to forget today, walking 9 batters in just over an inning pitched. Choke on that Chris Russo.

Alfsono Soriano is expected to miss about a week of action with a fractured finger.

Has any team had as many collisions over the years as the Mets? We don't even want to think about the Mike Cameron-Carlos Beltran disaster in '05. This time it was 2nd Baseman Marlon Anderson and right fielder Ryan Church this past Saturday. Church ended up with a Grade 2 concussion.

The Mets also have to be holding their breaths concerning Carlos Delgado. The big 1st Baseman missed a lot of time last season due to a hip flexor problem. He was aching again this spring, but an MRI showed an impingement and he's listed as day-to-day.

Andrew Miller's Marlins debut was definitely not a memorable one. The highly touted prospect, acquired in the Miguel Cabrera deal, walked 5 batters in 3 innings.

The Nats Elijah Dukes hit his 1st HR of the spring and didn't attack or impregnate anyone after the game...though it's still early.

The A's Bobby Crosby homered in both weekend games, but in typical Bobby Crosby fashion, had back spasms today.

Our thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery go out to Phillies coach and former big league speedster Davey Lopes who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

The Red Sox Bartolo Colon was clocked at 90 mph in his Monday bullpen session. Colon threw 42 pitches that were a combination of fastballs and changeups.

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Around the Horn - 2/28

Mark DeRosa had minor surgery to repair an irregular heart beat and should be back with the Cubbies on Monday.

With no good offers in sight, veteran Shawn Green has decided to call it a career. The 15-year veteran hit the 328 home runs and posted a .283 lifetime average.

Cardinals utility man Scott Spiezio is, quite frankly, in deep shit. The Irvine, CA police department has issued an arrest warrant for Spiezio on 6 counts, from an incident on December 30th. Spiezio, who is already on baseball's restricted list due to a substance abuse problem, is wanted for DUI, hit and run, aggravated assault, and assault and battery. The Cardinals' quickly released him as soon as the news hit.

With no one breaking down his door, Freddy Garcia is going to wait until his arm is in better shape before signing with anyone. Garcia and his reps are counting on the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, and others having renewed interest when Garcia can prove to them that he's healthy.

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Around the Horn - 2/26

Bartolo Colon tried on his new Red Sox duds and took the mound today. His freshly signed contract will earn him $7 million if Colon makes the team out of spring training and takes the hill for 30 starts. The most amazing thing about all this is how out of shape Colon looks. You'd think a guy coming back from an arm injury and trying to get a contract would get into better shape. This dude is a serious candidate for a mansierre or bro.

The Giants will be without Omar Vizquel for 4-5 week due to surgery on his sore left knee.

Brett Boone says alcohol was one of the contributing factors in stepping away from the game 2 yeas ago. It got the to the point where Boonie was having 12-15 beers after each game.

The Rays have to be sweating right now after Scott Kazmir complained about elbow pain. Kazmir, who said it felt like a hyperextension, will go for an MRI.

The San Fran Chronicle reports that former Met Mike Piazza may hang up the cleats if he doesn't find work before the end of spring training.

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Around the Horn - 2/25

With Curt Schilling ailing, the Red Sox have reportedly turned to another veteran, also dealing with arm issues. According to ESPN, the Sox have agreed to terms on a minor league deal with former Cy Young winner Bartolo Colon. There is no guaranteed money for Colon, who nearly signed with the Mets last week before they backed off.

The Red Sox also announced they are keeping their manager for at least 3 more years. Terry Francona agreed to a 3-year, $12 million extension.

Brad Lidge will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery and is expected to miss the start of the Phillies' regular season. It's an early blow to the defending NL East champs, who acquired Lidge so they could move Brett Myers back to the starting rotation.

The Cubs Mark DeRosa had to be taken off the field on a stretcher Saturday due to an irregular heartbeat. He was feeling better on Sunday and was released from an area hospital. DeRosa will see a cardiologist today to determine when he can resume baseball activities.

The Blue Jays are bringing Shannon Stewart back to Toronto with a minor deal that will turn into $1.5 million if he makes the team. Stewart, who turns 34 today, played for the Jays from 1995-2003.

Tony LaRussa has selected Adam Wainwright to be the Cardinals opening day starter. In his comeback attempt, the Tigers Matt Mantei threw to hitters for the first time in 2 years.

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Around the Horn

The mouth that roared, Curt Schilling reported to Red Sox camp yesterday, and quickly threw management under the team bus. Schitbag is upset that the team is forcing him to choose rehab over surgery on his balky shoulder.

"I don't have any choice. If their course of action doesn't work I don't pitch this year, and I may never pitch again," Schilling said. "I have to mentally get behind it and do everything I can do to make it work."

Schilling had earlier sent this email to the AP.- "When you understand the depths of the different diagnosis, the incredible variations in potential treatments and timetables you should be able to understand to some degree why I might be upset at being forced to take this course of action," Schilling said. "That being said, that process is over and right now I am focused on trying to find out as quickly as possible whether or not this course of action will work."

Miguel Tejada reported to his new team, the Houston Astros today, but refused to comment on being named in the Mitchell Report. Tejada's attorneys advised him to keep a lid on things. The FBI has already launched an investigation to determine if Tejada lied during an interview in 2005.

Odalis Perez has reportedly joined the free-for-all to make the Nationals pitching staff, by inking a minor league deal.

The Angels can't find this to be good news. Vlad Guerrero is still bothered by elbow problems that forced him to DH down the stretch of last season.

Lou Piniella has made Bobby Howry the front-runner to be the Cubs new closer. Last year's closer, Ryan Dempster, was moved back to the starting rotation.



Ownership is now 5-0 in arbitration cases after defeating Mark Loretta.

Talk about a sophomore jinx. Hunter Pence has gotten off to a rough start in '08, suffering cuts to his hands and knees after walking into a sliding glass door.

Ian Kinsler has joined the recent group of young players to receive long-term contracts. The Rangers and Kinsler agreed to a 5-yr, $22 million deal.

Andy Pettitte wasn't the only one offering up apologies yesterday. Eric Gagne said his sorrys for being a distraction to his new Milwaukee Brewers club.

In what has to be a simple case of nepotism, the Nationals have inked Brett Boone to a minor league deal. The 39-yr old hasn't played in a major league game in over 2-1/2 years. His younger brother Aaron is also in Nats camp and his Dad, Bob, is an assistant to GM Jim Bowden.

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Around the Horn

Around the Horn - our recap of what's going around major league baseball - is back. In case you missed it, Carlos Beltran took a pre-emptive strike at the Phillies' Jimmy Rollins, by saying the Mets were the team to beat this year. Rollins of course made that proclomation about the Phillies last season, and thanks to a monumental Mets collapse, he was right when it came to the NL East crown. It's also highly unusual for Beltran to speak louder than a whisper.

K-Rod is quite upset with the Angels over his pending arbitration case. After seeing the deal Mariano Rivera got, K-Rod wants a big multi-year deal of his own. But so far Angels management has not been forthcoming. So while K-Rod may not be planning his exist from Anaheim/LA/that area, he was clearly upset when asked if he thought he might be elsewhere next season.

"Yeah, probably. Probably," he said. "If they wanted me here, they would have done something a long time ago. But, in the meantime, I have to put that out of my head. I can't be thinking they don't want me here or anything like that. Just do my job."

The Marlins have taken a hit already. Anibel Sanchez has been shut down after complaining of discomfort in his surgically repaired shoulder. And the Cardinals are being very cautious with Albert Pujols who is complaining of elbow pain in his right arm.

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The Pennant Race

With a little over a month to go in the season, divisions and both wild cards are up for grabs. We'll skip the AL East and wild card since we think you've already have all the info on that one. But here goes.

NL East

The Mets have had an up and down season, but have still dominated the division. It's unlikely that they won't hold on to/run away with the lead, but Philly is making it interesting. One day after beating the Mets 9-2, the Phillies rallied from a 2-0 deficit to send the game into extra innings. Ryan Howard drove the home crowd crazy with a walk-off 2-run HR. The Phils now trail the Mets by 4 games going into their contest tonight. Oliver Perez faces off against Jamie Moyer, who has really been bad of late, in tonight's game. If the Mets win the tonight and tomorrow for a 4-game split, the Phillies will walk away empty handed.

The Braves lost to the Marlins in extra innings, and remain a distant 6 games back of the Mets.

NL Central

Big series between the Cubs and Brewers. The Brewers lead the division for much of the season before hitting the skids. The Brewers lead 3-0 behind Jeff Suppan last night. But the Brewers pen took over in the 7th and immediately gave up 4 runs. The Cubs 5-3 win pushed the Brewers into 3rd place, 2.5 back. The defending champion Cardinals remained just 2 back with a 7-0 win over Houston. Great match up in tonight's game, Ben Sheets vs. Carlos Zambrano.

The Cards have a tough one as they pit Kip Wells against Roy Oswalt.

NL West

Another big 1-2 division series. Arizona against San Diego. The Padres won 3-1 Monday night behind Jake Peavy and last night beat up Brandon Webb in a 6-4 win. The Pads now trail the division leading Dbacks by just 1 game. Young vs. old tonight (no, not either of the Chris Young's) - Micah Owings vs. Greg Maddux in the 3rd of 4 games.

The Dodgers beat the Nats 4-3 to move within 4.5 of AZ, and today picked up Esteban Loaiza off of waivers from the Oakland A's. He'll be immediately plugged into their rotation.

AL Central

The Indians bounced back from their 3 game sweep at the hands of the Yankees, by going 9-4, including winning their last 4 in a row. That put them 3.5 ahead of the Tigers, who except for this past weekend's series with the Yankees, have struggled against everyone. That included a 6-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals last night. The Tigers hope to bounce back tonight when they send rookie Andrew Miller against one-time phenom, Zack Greinke.

The Twins quietly crept to within 4.5 of the Indians, but the Tribe quickly dispatched them the last 2 nights, 8-3 and 6-5. The series concludes tonight with a great match up of Johann Santana vs. C.C. Sabathia.

AL West

Yet another series between the top 2 teams in the division. The Angels John Lackey dominated the Mariners Monday night in a 6-0 win, and battled back last night from a 5-0 deficit to win 10-6. The 2 losses dropped the Mariners 4 back of the Angels.


NL Wild Card

The Padres are the top dog right now, with a 3 game lead over the Phillies. The Dodgers are 3.5 back, while the Braves sit 5 back. We're not going to bother getting into the rest of the teams on the periphery.

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Around the Horn (8/28)

Chase Utley had an immediate impact for the Phillies in his return from the DL. Playing his 1st game since July 26, when he suffered a broken hand, the All-Star 2nd Baseman had 3 hits, including a home run, and 2 RBI in the Phillie 9-2 win over the Mets.

Not so good news for Utley's teammate Freddy Garcia. The right-hander, who has not pitched since June 8, because of a shoulder strain, may need surgery.

Gary Sheffield's shoulder has been acting up again and it landed him on the 15-day DL on Monday. Why the Tigers waited, when they knew he couldn't play this weekend, is beyond anyone's guess. Perhaps they were afraid of being charged with racism.

Steroid Sammy Sosa has decided he wants to come back for at least 1 more season. It's not likely to happen in Texas, but perhaps Mets GM Omar Minaya will finally land his man.

Hearst newspapers argued in court yesterday that names revealed to George Mitchell from steroid user/abuser/stoolie Kirk Radomski, should be made public. Read more.

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Quick Hits

Great August baseball story last night in St. Louis. Rick Ankiel, whose career as a major league pitcher ended in a base on balls humiliation nightmare, returned to the majors last night as an outfielder. After a pop-up and a couple of K's, Ankiel brought the home crowd and Tony LaRussa to their feet with a 3-run homer.

The Cubs put in a waiver claim on the White Sox Scott Podsednik and could be trying to work out a deal with their cross-town rivals. Source

The Cubs also put in a waiver claim on the A's Shannon Stewart. Source

After losing to the Cards on Wednesday, the Padres' Greg Maddux is winless in his last 8 starts, or since he won career victory #340.

Chipper Jones hit a monster 470 ft. home run off the Shea Stadium scoreboard in yesterday's win over the Mets. Jones then refused to speak to the media, blaming them for taking his comments on Alex Rodriguez out of context. Willie Harris robbed Carlos Delgado of a 9th inning, gamy tying home run with a sensational leaping grab in the 9th.

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Around the Horn - 8/7

Curt "Schitbag" Schilling made his first start for the Red Sox since June 18 last night and loss (Woo-hooooooo) to the LA Angels, 4-2. Schilling allowed 4 runs in 6 innings. The Red Sox also signed Bobby Kielty to a minor league contract in an effort to boost their bench.

The Cubs received a big blow to their playoff hopes when they found out Alfonso Soriano had a small tear in his right quad and could be out up to 6 weeks. It was originally thought to just be a strain with a 2-4 week timetable for his return.

The Rangers bullpen, already shortened with the trade of Eric Gagne, may be weaker for a lot longer. Akinori Otsuka, their outstanding setup man and occasional closer, has been out with a strained forearm. Now there's rumors he may be need Tommy John surgery. Either way he won't be back before Sept. 1.

And finally this, a dog (I'll have to teach my 2 beagles to do the same thing) that boos Barroid Bonds. CNN Video

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Around the Horn (7/2)

It's the first around the horn for July- how is it July already?- and remarkably it was only 50 degrees last night. But enough about the weather.

Contract talks have broken down between the White Sox and Mark Buehrle. A no-trade clause has thrown a monkey wrench into the works.

A.J. Burnett is heading to the 15 day DL once again with shoulder problems. One has to wonder how John Gibbons keeps his job. Burnett has a history of arm problems, yet Gibbons has pushed him well past 100 pitches on several occasions. In his last start prior to his previous trip to the DL he threw 130.

Two more managers are out of jobs. Mariner's skipper Mike Hargrove went on his own accord. Saying he had lost his passion for the game, Hargrove resigned. John McLaren has been named interim manager.

The Reds fired Jerry Narron after a 31-51 start, the worst record in the majors. Pete Mackinin, an advanced scout for the team, has been named interim manager.

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Around the Horn (6/20)

It hasn't been a good week for veteran pitchers. Randy Johnson (herniated disk), Curt Schilling (shoulder), A.J. Burnett (shoulder), Jason Schmidt (shoulder), and Dontrelle Willis (forearm, elbow) are all hurting. Johnson and Burnett are already on the DL. Schilling went for an MRI (showed no structural damage), and Schmidt is having his shoulder scoped today. Willis hopes not to miss a start.

update - Schilling has received a cortisone shot

No more infighting for Cubs catcher Michael Barrett. The Cubs sent him and some cash to San Diego today for catcher Rob Bowen and prospect Kyler Burke.

Texas Rangers' 1st Baseman Mark Teixeira confirmed that he won't be back before the All-Star game because of his injured quad.

Craig Biggio had a pair of hits last night against the Angels, leaving him just 8 hits shy of 3,000.

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Around the Horn (6/17)

It's been a tough year for Carlos Zambrano. First there was the multi-year pact taken off the table when the The Trib sold the Cubs. Then there were the early struggles and erratic pitching, possibly brought on by the lack of a new contract. Next up came the fight with Michael Barrett in the dugout and clubhouse. But yesterday may have been the most frustrating of all.

Zambrano had a no-hitter going into the 8th inning. He lost is when Marcus Giles stroked a 1-out single. Zambrano would allow only one one more hit in the game, but it was one hit too many. Russell Branyan belted his 5th home run of the season in the 9th- the game's only run. Chris Young and 3 relievers limited the Cubs to hits as well.

Young didn't last too long in the game though, just 3 innings plus a batter in the 4th. That batter was Derek Lee and Young went head hunting after him. Let's take a step back though.

Saturday's incident happened because of the unprofessional demeanor of the Cubs' Alfonso Soriano on Friday. Sori hit a deep blast off the Pads' David Wells, and in the process raised the bar for admiring home runs. Sori back peddled his way down the 1st Base line, angering the Pads in the process.

So on Saturday, Young narrowly missed Lee's noggin' in nailing him. A brawl ensued with Young, Lee, Jake Peavy (who was quite outspoken on Soriano's actions on Friday), and Cubs' hitting coach Gerald Perry were all ejected. The only puzzlement in all of this is why Lee was thrown at and not Soriano.

Afterwards, the reactions were typical. First Derek Lee:

"I really don't mind getting hit, but when it's at my head, I feel like it threatened my health," the normally mild-mannered Lee said. "I don't know what his intent was, but it was at my head and he said some things to me I didn't like. It just escalated."

Chris Young:

"I will say this, I didn't throw at him and that's as far as I'll go," said Young, who didn't allow a hit in his three-plus innings before he was tossed. "I didn't try to hit him. It had nothing to do with anything in the past. I was just trying to throw a pitch inside. It got away and hit
him."

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Around the Horn (6/12)

Joe Crede's season may be over in Chicago. He's learned that his troublesome back will need surgery. Former White Sox and current Phillie, Freddy Garcia may be done for the season too. An MRI Monday showed some "pathology" in the labrum and fraying of the rotator cuff in Garcia's right shoulder.

Just in case anyone outside of SF cares, that android playing left field for the Giants hit his 747th HR yesterday.

There's a lot of talk last week's 1st round draft pick David Price may be pitching for the Devil Rays before the season is over.

Andy Marte has yet to live up to the potential that has followed him from Atlanta to Boston to Cleveland, but he had big week for the Buffalo Bisons, winning the International League Player of the Week award. Marte raked to the tune of .426-4-11. The Indians would be wise to not rush him back to the majors.

Carlos Zambrano with Michael Barrett catching - 5-5, 5.61, 1 fight. With Koyie Hill catching Zambrano's last 2 starts - 2-0, 1.23 and 17 strikeouts in 14.2 innings.

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Around the Horn (6/11)

Injuries have finally caught up to the Mets, who have lost 6 of 7. Spark plug outfielder Endy Chavez was the latest to go on the DL last week. The Tigers had their way with Oliver Perez and Tom Glavine over the weekend. This is why Met fans who try to act arrogant need to simma.

When Ian Kinsler homered for the Rangers on Friday it was his 11th of the season. Not a bad total all. But considering Kinsler had 9 HRs after play on April 29, it's not such a great accomplishment. Worse though is the dip in his average from .309 to .230.

With a back injury to Joe Crede, prospect Josh Fields is getting a chance to play ever day for the White Sox. Unfortunately for him, he's hitting like the rest of the team. Fields is just 2-18 since his recall.

The A's recalled catcher Kurt Suzuki from the minors over the weekend after dealing Adam Melhuse to Texas. Suzuki could eventually supplant free agent-to-be Jason Kendall as the starting catcher.

When 39-year old Masumi Kutawa debuted for the Pirates yesterday, he became the oldest rookie since 41-year old Diomedes Olivo played for the Pirates in 1960.

The rumor mill has been set in motion. The Rays and Nats are seriously discussing Elijah Dukes and the Reds have let it be known that Adam Dunn is available.

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Around the Horn (6/7)

San Diego Padres closer Trevor Hoffman became the first pitcher with 500 saves after he finished last night's game with the Dodgers.

Baseball holds its amateur draft today. The Devil Rays are expected to choose Vanderbilt U pitcher David Price with the first pick.

The Minnesota Twins will finally be getting their prized catcher back on Friday. Joe Mauer has been out since May 4 with a quad injury.

A quick switch from Around the Horn to Inside the Crease. Congrats to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. It was pretty neat seeing Scott and Rob Niedemayer winning a cup together.

Amazing how Gary Sheffield responds to criticism. Last night he belted 2 HRs and drove in 5. And yes, he is still an asshole.

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