The Game of Baseball

Nationals Put Harris On DL, Bring Up 2B Hernandez

2009-04-13T12:18:00.006-05:00

Washington Nationals utilityman Willie Harris has been put on the 15-day disabled list with a pulled side muscle by the team and have recalled second baseman Anderson Hernandez to take his spot on the roster. Hernandez is expected to be in Monday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Harris injured himself running to first base in the third inning of Sunday's game against the Atlanta Braves, a 8-5 loss. Hernandez initially started the season on the DL after straining his right hamstring during a spring training game on March 25; he played in a rehab game on Sunday.

Lohse Pitches Complete Game, Cardinals Blank Astros 3-0

2009-04-12T23:06:00.006-05:00

I think it is safe to say that it has not been a good week for the Houston Astros as they went into Busch Stadium on Sunday to take on the St. Louis Cardinals. The lack of offense by the Astros haunted them again as Cardinals starting pitcher Kyle Lohse pitched a complete game, allowing St. Louis to shut out Houston 3-0 and sweep their series.

An RBI single by Ryan Ludwick in the fourth inning was all the Cardinals needed; Khalil Greene led the Cardinals hitting as he went 3-for4 with a run scored, an RBI and a stolen base. Ludwick and Chris Duncan also added RBIs. Winning pitcher Lohse (2-0) pitched a complete game shutout, allowing only 3 hits while striking out 4.

Kaz Matsui, Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn had a hit each for the Astros; losing pitcher Wandy Rodriguez (0-1) pitched 6 innings, allowing 5 hits, 3 earned runs, walking 3 while striking out 4. St. Louis (5-2) plays again on Monday as they travel to Phoenix to take on the Arizona Diamondbacks; Todd Wellemeyer (0-1) gets the start for the Cardinals while Doug Davis toes the rubber for the D-Backs. Houston (1-5) plays again on Monday when they travel to Pittsburgh to face the Pirates; Brian Moehler (0-1) gets the start for the Astros while Zach Duke (1-0) will start for the Pirates.

Harang Notches Complete Game, Reds Shut Out Pirates 2-0

2009-04-12T22:41:00.005-05:00

Apparently Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Aaron Harang has the Pittsburgh Pirates' number as he, prior to the Reds' game Sunday against the Pirates, had a 11-5 record against them. 108 pitches later, Harang would improve his record against the Pirates to 12-5 as he pitched a complete game. Cincinnati would improve to 2-3 as they shut out Pittsburgh 2-0 at Great American Ballpark.

The Reds scored all of their runs in the first inning as Brandon Phillips homered; Phillips, as expected, led Cincinnati as he went 1-for-3 with a run scored and 2 RBIs. Willie Taveras also chipped in 2 hits and a stolen base. Harang (1-1) was the winning pitcher, throwing a complete game, allowing only 3 hits while striking out 9.

Nyjer Morgan has 2 of the Pirates 3 hits, with Brandon Moss providing the other hit; Ian Snell (0-2) took the loss as he pitched 6 innings, allowing 5 hits, 2 earned runs, walking 3 while striking out 7.

Cincinnati (2-3) plays again on Monday when they go to Milwaukee to take on the Brewers; Edinson Volquez (0-1) gets the start for the Reds while Yovani Gallardo (1-0) gets the nod for the Brewers. Pittsburgh (3-3) plays again on Monday when they return home to host the Houston Astros; Zach Duke (1-0) will start for the Pirates while Brian Moehler (0-1) will start for the Astros.

Indians Finally In Win Column, Scalp Blue Jays 8-4

2009-04-12T22:07:00.006-05:00

The Cleveland Indians were looking Sunday to avoid their worst start in 95 years; their opponent, the Toronto Blue Jays, were looking to prolong their three-game winning streak. The Indians got their best pitching effort to date from one of their starters while Mark Derosa and Travis Hafner homered, leading Cleveland to their first win of the season, beating Toronto 8-4 at Progressive Field.

Jhonny Peralta led the Indians' attack with 3 hits and 2 runs scored while the aforementioned Larosa and Hafner homered; winning pitcher Anthony Reyes (1-0) pitched 6 innings, allowing only 3 hits, 4 earned runs, walking 3 while striking out 2.

Toronto was led by Vernon Wells as he went 2-for-4 with a run scored, 2 RBIs and homered; losing pitcher David Purcey (0-1) pitched only 4 2/3 innings, allowing 4 hits, 4 earned runs, walking 6 while striking out 10. Cleveland (1-5) plays again on Monday when they travel to Kansas City to take on the Royals; Fausto Carmona (0-1) gets the start for the Indians while the Royals will start Zack Greinke (1-0). Toronto (5-2) plays again on Monday when they travel to Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Twins; Jesse Litsch (0-1) gets the nod for the Blue Jays while Kevin Slowey (1-0) will start for the Twins.

Colon, 3 Relievers Help White Sox Shut Out Twins 8-0

2009-04-12T10:28:00.007-05:00

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Bartolo Colon has had an interesting few years as after his 2005 Cy Young award season with the then-California Angels, the injury bug seemed to bite him - only having 35 starts between then and the 2009 season due to injuries. The team took a flyer on him this season, and based on his performance in Saturday's game against the Minnesota Twins, he may be a good pickup. Colon and 3 relievers combined to shut out Minnesota 8-0.

Carlos Quentin led the White Sox offense as he went 2-for-4 with a home run, scored twice along with an RBI while Alexei Ramirez and Corky Miller added 2 hits apiece. Winning pitcher Colon (1-0) pitched 6 innings, allowing only 3 hits, walking 2 while striking out 2.

Minnesota was led by Michael Cuddyer and Nick Punto with 2 hits apiece; losing pitcher Francisco Liriano (0-2) pitched only 4 2/3 innings, allowing 6 hits, 5 earned runs, walking 4 while striking out 3. Chicago (2-3) and Minnesota (3-3) play again on Sunday when Mark Buehrle (0-0) takes the mound for the White Sox while Nick Blackburn (0-0) gets the start for the Twins.

Soriano's 9th Inning Blast Bails Out Cubs, Edge Brewers 6-5

2009-04-12T10:09:00.007-05:00

One thing that is for certain at this early stage of the season: the Chicago Cubs' bullpen is shaky, to say the least. Fortunately for them, they have Alfonso Soriano. Soriano did his best Mighty Mouse imitation on Sunday when he hit a 9th inning home run, leading Chicago to a narrow 6-5 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.

Chicago was led by Soriano, who went 2-for-5 with 2 runs scored, a HR and 3 RBIs while Kosuke Fukudome added 2 hits along with a HR, a run scored and 2 RBIs; Aramis Ramirez also homered for the Cubs. The winning pitcher was Aaron Heilman, who went 1 2/3 innings, allowing a hit while striking out 3; Carlos Marmol notched his first save as he pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

Milwaukee was led by Prince Fielder who hit his first HR of the season while scoring a run and bring home 2; Corey Hart and Mike Rivera also added 2 hits. Chicago (3-2) and Milwaukee (2-3) play again on Sunday when Ryan Dempster (0-0) starts for the Cubs while Jeff Suppan (0-1) gets the nod for the Brewers.

Bay Hits 2 Home Runs, Red Sox Edge Angels 5-4

2009-04-12T09:48:00.005-05:00

Usually Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon is lights out when he pitches the ninth inning to close out any given game. In Saturday's game between the Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels, Papelbon wasn't his sharpest, but after a classic batter-pitcher duel between him and Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick, Papelbon would get the better of the exchange as Kendrick flied out to Red Sox right fielder Rocco Baldelli, helping Boston edge Los Angeles 5-4 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.

Boston's offense was led by Jason Bay, who went 2-for-3 while hitting 2 home runs, scoring 3 times and bringing home 3; Mike Lowell also homered while Baldelli added 2 hits. Winning pitcher Brad Penny (1-0) went 6 innings, allowing 5 hits, 3 earned runs, walking 2 while striking out 2. Papelbon pitched 1 1/3 innings, allowing 2 hits, an earned run, walking 2 while striking out 1 to earn his second save.

Los Angeles was led by Mike Napoli, who went 3-for-3 with a pair of home runs, scored twice along with 2 RBIs; Torii Hunter also homered. Losing pitcher Joe Saunders (1-1) pitched 7 innings, allowing 7 hits, 4 earned runs, walking 3 while striking out 2. Boston (2-3) plays Los Angeles again on Sunday when Josh Beckett (1-0) takes the mound while the Angels (2-3) counter with Dustin Moseley (0-0).

Pujols Goes Yard Twice, Cardinals Thrash Astros 11-2

2009-04-12T09:26:00.006-05:00

St. Louis first baseman Albert Pujols is off to a hot start. How hot you ask? Try batting .429 with 3 home runs and 9 RBIs; of course, to be fair, he got a good chunk of that on Saturday when he hit a pair of HRs - one a grand slam - that helped St. Louis thrash the Houston Astros 11-2 on Saturday at Busch Stadium.

The major damage occurred in the fifth inning when Pujols hit the grand slam off losing pitcher Roy Oswalt (0-2), scoring Skip Schumaker, David Freese and Colby Rasmus. St. Louis' leading hitter was the aforementioned Pujols, who went 2-for-4 with 2 runs scored, 7 RBIs with a pair of HRs while Rick Ankiel and Joe Thurston added 3 hits apiece in the 19-hit Cardinals attack. Winning pitcher Adam Wainwright (1-0) threw 5 scoreless innings, allowing 4 hits, walking 3 while striking out 4.

Houston was led by Hunter Pence who went 2-for-4 while Michael Bourn went 1-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI. Losing pitcher Oswalt pitched 6 innings, allowing 9 hits, 6 earned runs, walking 2 while striking out 4. Both teams hook up again on Sunday when St. Louis (4-2) will start Kyle Lohse (1-0) while Houston will pencil in Wandy Rodriguez (0-0) for the start.

Doumit's Grand Slam Propels Pirates Past Reds 10-2

2009-04-11T20:12:00.005-05:00

The Pittsburgh Pirates, in their game Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds, did something they very rarely do - score 10 or more runs. The front and rear the pitchers the Reds used got blasted for 9 runs, led by Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit with a 9th inning grand slam. The massacre was too much as Pittsburgh blasted Cincinnati 10-2 at Great American Ballpark.

Doumit led Pittsburgh, going 3-for-5 with a run scored, 4 RBIs with the aforementioned grand slam home run while Nyjer Morgan went 3-for-4 with 2 runs scored, an RBI and 2 stolen bases; Nate McLouth chipped in as he went 2-for-3 with 2 runs scored, 3 RBIs, including a HR. Winning pitcher Paul Maholm (1-0) pitched 7 innings, allowing only 3 hits, an earned run, walking 2 and striking out 3.

Cincinnati was led by Brandon Phillips who went 2-for-3 with 2 runs scored and a stolen base while Jay Bruce was 1-for-4 with 2 RBIs. Losing pitcher Johnny Cueto (0-1) pitched 6 innings, allowing 8 hits, 4 earned runs, walking 1 while striking out 9. Pittsburgh (3-2) plays again on Sunday when they again face Cincinnati (1-3); Ian Snell (0-1) gets the start for the Pirates while Aaron Harang (0-1) gets the nod for the Reds.

Beckett Fans 10, Red Sox Club Rays 5-3

2009-04-07T22:27:00.006-05:00

If any of you caught the ALCS last season, then you know that Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Josh Beckett got knocked around in the series. In Tuesday's game against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays, he was quite the different pitcher; Beckett would strike out 10 as Boston disposed of Tampa Bay 5-3 at Fenway Park.

Boston's leading hitter was Kevin Youkalis with 2 hits and a run scored while Dustin Pedrioa and Jason Varitek went yard - the first home runs for each. Winning pitcher Beckett (1-0) pitched 7 innings, allowing only 2 hits, an earned run while walking 3 and striking out 10; Jonathan Papelbon threw a perfect 9th inning for his first save.

Tampa Bay was led by Evan Longoria as he went 1-for-4 with 2 RBIs; Carl Crawford went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Losing pitcher James Shields (0-1) pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing 9 hits, 5 earned runs, 3 walks while striking out 2. Boston (1-0) and Tampa Bay (0-1) hook up again on Wednesday when Jon Lester gets the start for the Red Sox while Scott Kazmir toes the rubber for Tampa Bay.

Revamped Bullpen Helps Mets Edge Reds 2-1

2009-04-06T22:08:00.004-05:00

The New York Mets had a decent bullpen last season; this season, team general manager Omar Minaya kicked it up a notch as he secured Francisco Rodriguez and J. J. Putz to upgrade their bullpen. In their game Monday against the Cincinnati Reds, the combination of 3 Mets relievers shut down the Reds for 3 1/3 innings, with the end result being New York edging Cincinnati 2-1 at Great American Ballpark.

Mets starting pitcher Johan Santana pitched 5 2/3 innings of three-hit ball, but the bullpen managed to shut down the Reds over the final 3 1/3 innings for the victory. New York's leading hitter was Daniel Murphy as he went 1-for-5 with a home run, scored a run with 2 RBIs while Carlos Delgado and Ryan Church added 2 hits each. The winning pitcher was Santana (1-0), who went 5 2/3 innings and allowed only 3 hits, an earned run, walked 4 and striking out 7; Rodriguez pitched a perfect 9th inning for his first save of the season.

Cincinnati's top hitter was Darnell McDonald who went 1-for-3 with a run scored; losing pitcher Aaron Harang (0-1) pitched 5 innings, allowing 7 hits, an earned run, walking 3 and striking out 2. New York meet again on Wednesday when Edison Volquez gets the start for Cincinnati while Mike Pelfrey gets the nod for New York.

Lowe Has Strong Outing, Braves Scalp Phillies 4-1

2009-04-05T23:34:00.004-05:00

One thing can be said about Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Derek Lowe: when he is on his game, he is by and large difficult to hit. In Sunday's season opener between the Braves and Philadelphia Phillies, Lowe showed flashes of his old self as he pitched 8 strong innings, leading Atlanta to a 4-1 win over Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park. To illustrate his dominance, he had 13 groundouts.

Atlanta (1-0) hit three homers against Philadelphia losing pitcher Brett Myers, one each by Jeff Francoeur, Brian McCann and rookie Jordan Schafer. Schafer and Chipper Jones led the Braves with 2 hits each. Lowe (1-0) pitched 8 innings, allowing only 2 hits while striking out 4.

Philadelphia's (0-1) leading hitter was Jayson Werth, going 1-for-4 with a RBI; Eric Bruntlett scored a run. Losing pitcher Myers (0-1) pitched 6 innings, allowing 8 hits, 4 earned runs, a walk and striking out 6. Atlanta plays again on Tuesday when Jair Jurrjens gets the start against Jamie Moyer and the Phillies.

Royals-White Sox Season Opener Postponed

2009-04-05T17:59:00.003-05:00

Because of a weather forecast predicting snow on Monday, the season opener between the Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox has been postponed; the decision for the postponement was made on Sunday. This would be the first time since 1982 that the White Sox have had to postpone a season opener.

Rays Trade RHP Hammel To Rockies

2009-04-05T17:47:00.004-05:00

In a last-minute transaction, the Tampa Bay Rays traded right-hander Jason Hammel to the Colorado Rockies for minor league pitcher Aneury Rodriguez on Sunday; with the trade, Jeff Niemann becomes the fifth starter in the Rays' pitching rotation. Hammel went 4-4 with two saves and a 4.60 ERA in 40 games last season; he also started 2 games for the Rays while Scott Kazmir was on the disabled list.

Rodriguez was 9-10 with a 3.74 ERA for Class A Modesto last year; he was an All-Star in the California League and ranked second in the league with 139 strikeouts.

Rangers Now At 25

2009-04-05T17:38:00.005-05:00

The Texas Rangers completed a flurry of activity on Sunday as they put four pitchers on the disabled list: right-handers Joaquin Benoit and Eric Hurley on the 60-day DL while right-handers Dustin Nippert and Willie Eyre were placed on the 15-day DL. In addition, the team reassigned catcher Emerson Frostad and right-hander Derrick Turnbow to minor league camp; they also designated third baseman Travis Metcalf for assignment. Texas has 10 days to trade, release or outright Metcalf to the minor leagues.

Reds Option 5

2009-04-05T17:29:00.005-05:00

The Cincinnati Reds got down to the league-mandated 25-man roster as they sent right-hander Homer Bailey, infielder Adam Rosales, utility player Wilkin Castillo and left-hander Bill Bray to Triple A Louisville; in addition, they reassigned outfielder Jonny Gomes to their minor league camp.

A's Get Down to 25

2009-04-04T21:38:00.006-05:00

The Oakland Athletics on Saturday whittled down to the league-mandated 25-man roster when they optioned left-hander Gio Gonzalez, infielders Daric Barton, Cliff Pennington and Jack Hannahan and outfielder Chris Denorfia to Triple A Sacramento; the team also added pitchers Brett Anderson, Andrew Bailey and Trevor Cahill to the main roster. In addition, starting pitcher Justin Duchscherer and right-hander Joey Devine will open the season on the disabled list along with outfielder Ben Copeland.

Royals Option Four

2009-04-04T21:31:00.003-05:00

The Kansas City Royals got closer to the league-mandated 25-man roster as they optioned left-hander Tim Hamulack, right-handers Roman Colon and Brandon Duckworth and outfielder Mitch Maier to Triple A Omaha on Saturday; they will need to make one more roster move by Sunday afternoon. According to manager Trey Hillman, outfielder Shane Costa and catcher Brayan Pena are battling for the final roster spot.

Red Sox option Buchholz, Place 5 On DL

2009-04-04T21:12:00.007-05:00

In their effort to pare their roster to the league-mandated 25-man roster, the Boston Red Sox on Saturday optioned right hander Clay Buchholz to Triple A Pawtucket and placed five players on the 15-day disabled list, including:

Right hander John Smoltz (right shoulder surgery)

Outfielder Mark Kotsay (right elbow)

Shortstop Julio Lugo (right knee surgery)

Outfielder Jonathan Van Every (right ankle sprain)

Right hander Miguel Gonzalez (right elbow surgery)

The above five went on the DL retroactive to March 27; the team has one more move to make by Sunday in order to get to the league-mandated 25 man roster.

Ichiro Placed On DL

2009-04-04T11:47:00.006-05:00

A bleeding ulcer will shelve one of baseball's top players as Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki was placed on the 15-day disabled list with the ailment; according to the team, the ulcer is no longer bleeding. Doctors have restricted Suzuki's activities but are optimistic that he will be able to be taken off the list on April 15.

The move was made retroactive to March 31, which means that Suzuki will not be eligible to come off the DL until the second week of the season when the Mariners are at home. According to manager Don Wakamatsu, either Franklin Gutierrez or Endy Chavez will lead off and that a variety of players could play right field, including Ken Griffey, Jr.

Major League Baseball Calendar

2009-04-04T11:38:00.006-05:00

Below is the Major League Baseball calendar of events for the 2009 season:

April 5: Opening day, active rosters reduced to 25 players.
June 9-10: Amateur draft.
July 14: All-Star game, St. Louis.
July 26: Hall of Fame inductions, Cooperstown, N.Y.
July 31: Last day to trade a player without securing waivers.
Aug. 15: Last day to sign selections from 2009 amateur draft who have not exhausted college eligibility.
Sept. 1: Active rosters expand to 40 players.
Dec. 7-10: Winter meetings, Indianapolis.

Griffey-Braves Talks Heat Up

2009-02-15T12:58:00.004-05:00

While the rumors about a Ken Griffey Reunion Tour in Seattle remain out there, there's at least one other team that is genuinely interested in Griffey, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com - the Atlanta Braves. The Braves, to probably no one's surprise, are shopping around for reasonably priced outfielders with some pop in their bat and they just recently lost the bidding war for Bobby Abreu.

Apparently, Griffey is interested in the Braves too as he lives in Orlando, FL, the spring training home of the Braves and sources say that Griffey would be willing to split time with Matt Diaz in left field. So at this juncture - unless some other teams express an interest in Griffey - it appears that the Seattle Mariners and Braves are the front runners for Griffey's services. When future developments become available, The Game of Baseball will provide them to you.

Fantasy Baseball Rankings - Catcher

2009-02-15T11:48:00.004-05:00

Spring training is around the corner and the fantasy leagues are springing up all over the Internet. And of course, you want to pre-rank your teams to get an advantage for when that draft day comes for you and the league(s) that you're involved with. That's where the Game Of Baseball comes in - to provide you with what should be the winning strategy to take you to your fantasy baseball championship. Today, we will concentrate on the Top Ten catchers.

1. Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves

This guy's still young (24) and had pretty decent stats for what was an otherwise average Braves squad (.301, 23 HRs, 87 RBIs, 42 doubles, .896 OPS). Expect more of the same but an increase in his batting average.

2. Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins

Dude can rake - there's no question about that. The power isn't what one expects from a catcher, but Mauer isn't chopped liver, either as he provides in so many other ways (.324, 85 RBIs, 98 runs scored, .413 OBP). If he could increase his power output, he could be downright dangerous. double-digit HRs are not out of the question.

3. Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs

Rookie of the Year in '08, Soto can only get better - as if that was possible. Look at the expected Cubs lineup and you can see why he could very well be the first catcher taken in most drafts. For a catcher, he had excellent numbers (.285, 23 HRs, 86 RBIs, .365 OBP, and a sick .872 OPS). Get him early.

4. Russell Martin, Los Angeles Dodgers

A ridiculous workload did Martin in; it's hard to stay healthy when you catch as many games as he did. That aside, he is a decent catcher who provides an added bonus - he steals bases (stole 18 last season). Expect him to revert back to his 2007 form. By the way, he is 3B-eligible this year.

5. Victor Martinez, Cleveland Indians

It could be that V-Mart is at the crossroads of his career as the injury bug hit him during 2008. If he can remain relatively healthy, then Martinez should put up decent numbers in '09. He's 30; given his track record, I expect Martinez to steal playing time from Kelly Shoppach. He is 1B-eligible, as well.

6. Bengie Molina, San Francisco Giants

He managed to flourish even without Barry Bonds in the lineup and put up career-best numbers (33 doubles, 95 RBIs) and hit .292. The question remains whether he can duplicate that success or not. I think not as the Giants went free-agent shopping so he may get some protection in that respect. His numbers should be pretty good but don't expect '08 numbers from Molina.

7. Ryan Doumit, Pittsburgh Pirates

If he can remain healthy during the '09 campaign, then he can jump into the elite pack of catchers; as it were, he had decent stats for a perennially underachieving Pirates squad (.318, 15 HRs, 69 RBIs). Again, he needs to stay healthy.

8. Mike Napoli, Los Angeles Angels

Good power obviously (20 HRs, 49 HRs), but can he stay healthy? He should play more than 78 games this coming season and you can expect at least 25 HRs from Napoli. If he can hang on to the starting catching gig from Jeff Mathis, he will flourish.

9. Chris Ianetta, Colorado Rockies

An intriguing player. It helped that he played in the thin air of Colorado, but he hit just as well as he did in Denver (.897 OPS on road, .893 OPS at home). He hit 18 HRs in only 333 at-bats, so that should give you an idea of what his potential is. If the elites are gone when your turn comes up, grab Ianetta.

10. Dioner Navarro, Tampa Bay Rays

He is the benefactor of having a decent Rays lineup batting ahead of him, so the pressure wasn't as pronounced. Don't look for true power from him as he is more a contact hitter (.295 BA in '08). But he is only 25 years old, so his numbers can only get better. A good catcher to have on your squad if you're not looking to be overly dependent on catcher production.

Sleepers: Pablo Sandoval, San Francisco Giants (1B and 3B-eligible); John Baker, Florida Marlins; Taylor Teagarden, Texas Rangers; A.J. Pierzynski, Chicago White Sox

Tomorrow: First Base

World Baseball Classic Being Promoted Without Shame w/ A-Rod Leading the Charge

2009-02-13T18:08:00.002-05:00

While the baseball world has been put on notice after the steroid bombshell this past week from Alex Rodriguez, that is not stopping ESPN from having A-Rod as part of their mega-promotion for the upcoming 2009 World Baseball Classic. The event, which will kick off in various locations from March 5th to March 23rd, with the finals being held in Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California.

ESPN sent out a presser talking about their promotion for the event, which read "ESPN will launch a global promo campaign in support of the World Baseball Classic beginning Saturday, Feb. 14. Tagged, "National pastime, international stars," the multimedia rollout will feature some of baseball's top names -- Jorge Cantu, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Ichiro Suzuki -- paying homage to their heritage and the pride it instills in them as they prepare to participate in the global baseball tournament. ESPN and ESPN2 will televise 23 games of the 2009 World Baseball Classic beginning March 5 with all games in high definition and simulcast via ESPN360.com and ESPN Mobile TV. Additionally, ESPN Deportes will televise all 39 games with ESPN International distributing up to 39 games."

The event has not been that well received, and now with the latest baseball scandal putting another mark on the great sport, it will be interesting to see the ratings for the event, as well the crowd reaction for Rodriguez, who still may face suspension from the league for admitting the use of steroids. Whatever the case may be, the 2009 World Baseball Classic may just have more interest due to the whole scandal surrounding Rodriguez. As for the actual games themselves, Japan will be looking to defend their title they won last year, with Ichiro Suzuki leading the way.

Henderson, Rice Joins the Immortals

2009-01-12T14:22:00.007-05:00

I think it was a foregone conclusion that Rickey Henderson would make into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, but one more former player joined Henderson in the esteemed Hall, former Boston Red Sox outfielder Jim Rice.

Henderson it was easy to see why he was elected on his first try; he was the all-time steals leader, he banged out 3,055 hits along with a .401 OBP not to mention that his 81 HRs leading off games are a MLB record. Henderson is the 44th player who got in on his first try. Rice, on the other hand, got in on his 15th - and final - try.

Rice spent his entire 16-year career with the Red Sox, hitting .298 for his career with 382 HRs, 1,451 RBIs and 2,452 hits; he had 4 seasons of 200 or more hits, led the American League in HRs three times, RBIs twice, once in hits, twice in slugging percentage, was the AL MVP in 1978 and was an 8-time All-Star.

The players considered who were the closest to being elected were: outfielder Andre Dawson and pitcher Bert Blyleven; Dawson's numbers increased, from 65.9% to 67% of the votes while Blyleven went from 61.9% to 62.7%. In addition, others were elected into the Hall: second baseman Joe Gordon and Tony Kubek (he won the Ford C. Frick Award for his contributions to baseball broadcasting). To be elected to the Hall of Fame, a player must have amassed 75% or more of the total votes sent in. Rice, Henderson, Gordon and Kubek will be enshrined on July 26 in Cooperstown, NY.