The Washington Nationals have been down this road before. They took on the talented bad egg that was Elijah Dukes a few years back. He had all the power in the world, but just couldn’t keep his head on straight. Before being traded to the Nationals, a restraining order was reportedly filed by his wife [...]

On Baseball Tonight this evening, analysts Aaron Boone and Steve Berthiaume gave the Boston Red Sox no hope. Boone has already pegged them dead in the water, saying, “it was a valiant effort.” Berthiaume went a bit further, believing the Red Sox had already hung up their spikes by giving guys like young outfield

Stephen Strasburg was must-see T.V. when he took the mound for the Washington Nationals, possessing a fastball that regularly hit 100 miles per hour. He overpowered opponents with his repertoire, becoming one of the more popular players in the game. There was so much hype surrounding him, and he lived up to it and then [...

In 1995, the owner of the Oakland Athletics, Walter Hass Jr., died, and successors Stephen Scott and Ken Hofman floated on a different boat regarding the team’s philosophy. Hass had spent an abundant amount of money on players, and they wanted to go into an entirely different direction. The duo immediately implored th

The Boston Red Sox needed to win this game, the finale of their series against the Tampa Bay Rays, one of the two teams they are trying to catch in the American League Standings. They played up to par early, as starting pitcher John Lackey held the Rays at bay while one-out singles in the [...]

In 2003, the Boston Red Sox put Manny Ramirez on waivers. They had enough of his antics and were displeased with his eyesore of a contract. He was still in the heart of his career, slugging 40 homers and driving in 130 annually at that time. But the team didn’t want him in their clubhouse [...]

I am a big advocate for going back to the olden days. Away with pitch counts and babying; let pitchers pitch. It’s a shame that a complete game is big news in this day and age. The pitchers haven’t changed; baseball has. And money has a lot to do with that transformation. But tonight at [...]

Three of the Boston Red Sox best hitters (Kevin Youkilis, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Dustin Pedroia) are out for the year, but the team has amazingly persevered. They have done so behind the table-setting of Marco Scutaro, the power of David Ortiz, and the efficiency of Adrian Beltre. Victor Martinez, who hasn’t played up t

During Wednesday night’s Texas Rangers-Minnesota Twins game, the ever woeful and insufferable ESPN announcer Rick Suttcliffe was posed a question regarding Manny Ramirez, who was placed on waivers by the Los Angeles Dodgers this week, by his partner in the booth Dave O’Brien. He basically said he didn’t ca

The Boston Red Sox have been successful despite a mountain of injuries and a sub-par pitching staff. Today, in their series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays, they relied on one of their replacements and their only consistent pitcher, riding the momentum train started on Saturday by Jed Lowrie’s game winner. On pap

Jed Lowrie recorded all three outs in the top of the eleventh and made sure the Toronto Blue Jays wouldn’t retire a batter in the bottom. The Boston Red Sox first baseman was playing well out of position, but with the injuries suffered to a bounty of stars, he took over the role. Mike Lowell [...]

The Boston Red Sox pitching staff is healthy and very formidable. It’s the offense that has been destroyed by injuries. Outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury took a knee to the ribs from Adrian Beltre nine games into the season, rehabilitated his five broken ribs, then, a week and a half into his return he re-breaks a rib, [...]

There have been many memorable home-runs hit in major league baseball history. There was Bill Mazerowski’s shot in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series; Carlton Fisk’s in the 1975 World Series, waiving it fair; Kirk Gibson’s in the 1988 World Series, hobbling around the bases,

Dustin Johnson should have known better. He should have payed closer attention to the rule book. You should never, ever ground your club in the sand. It was clearly a sand trap that his second shot found itself in on the 18th hole. It wasn’t being used, as the footprints blanketed the surface. That’s what [...]

When I went on my 10-day hiking trip to the Oval Lakes of Northern Washington, I expected I would miss no-hitters, some shakeups atop the many tight-knit divisions, and a franchise-altering trade made by Rich Cho and the Portland Trail Blazers. Hiking peaks and lounging around a nearby lake reading Michael Chabon’s br

I intended to make my article on the Boston Red Sox win over the Detroit Tigers the last I would write before heading to Washington for eight days of hiking, fishing, and lounging, but I couldn’t pass up writing about a pair of stories from the Association: LeBron James’ Ad and Shaquille O’Neal shaqqinR

Yesterday, David Ortiz was Big Papi for the Boston Red Sox, socking a game-winning, three-run double in the bottom of the ninth inning off Detroit Tigers reliever Phil Coke to erase what was a 4-0 deficit. It was a magical moment at Fenway Park, one Ortiz has been behind many, many times. The victory was [...]

The Boston Red Sox have been the definition of injury-prone. Because their roster has been so depleted, relatively unknown players have seen a lot of action and, unfortunately, have struggled. Journeyman Darnell McDonald and cast-off Bill Hall have combined to hit .243 this season in 423 combined at-bats. Eric Patterson, a

With Saturday’s trade deadline looming, teams are looking to either bolster already formidable rotations and lineups or desire to move the present and build for the future. It happens every season in baseball. And considering the excitement generated so far, 2010 has been no different. The Philadelphia Phillies and Ne

Immensely popular and extremely talented Stephen Strasburg 22-year old flame-throwing right-hander for the Washington Nationals was set to face National League East division foe in hopes of collecting his sixth win of his rookie season. He would not get the chance to, as an inflamed shoulder discovered during warm-ups made

Cubs haven’t had a losing streak of four games or a winning streak of four games this season. Lee: .233 w/ RISP this year. Flies out weakly in tenth for second out. Colvin tapper back to mound, Franklin throws to Schu, Schu lead reaching off bag heading towards the direction of right-center field, taps bag [...]

Rumors have been swirling around the potential availability of Houston Astros 32-year old ace Roy Oswalt. He has been the lone bright spot on a team that entered Saturday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds with a 39-56 record. Since the season is considered lost, it was of little surprise to find that they are indeed

At the beginning of the season, it was thought by many that the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals would finish one-two in the National League. At this point of the season, the top-two doesn’t currently consist of either of those teams. Instead, the very surprising San Diego Padres and the always-contending

Vladimir Guerrero is a Hall of Famer. First ballot, no question. He was a few years ago, but if there was any doubt from potential voters, his extraordinary first season with the American League West-leading Texas Rangers puts to bed any question regarding his candidacy. Coming off a injury-riddled final season with the Ana

Louis Oosthuizen grew up in Mossel Bay, South Africa, playing on a links course in the city in the southernmost cape of the country that featured 94 pot-bunkers and constant wind. St. Andrews, the setting for the British Open, has felt just like home for the 27-year old. And, not surprisingly, the comfort, coupled with [...

The Portland Trail Blazers shot 26-76, 34 percent, from the field in their Summer League contest against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The shooting percentage was dreadful, but though 50 shots were clanged, the up and coming players that had to show some aggressiveness did. That was a good sign, and in the Summer League, that

When Louis Oosthuizen, a 27-year old relatively unknown South African, bogeyed the first hole of the British Open’s third round to see his five shot lead quickly reduced to four, I thought he would completely crumble under the pressure and do what Dustin Johnson did in the final round of the U.S. Open earlier this [..

The third game of the Portland Trail Blazers schedule against the Los Angeles Clippers didn’t start as they would have liked. Fourteen turnovers were committed in the first two quarters, the point guards weren’t producing as they have in the past, and Jeff Pendergraph struggled offensively. The team had just 29

The Utah Jazz have signed guard Raja Bell, who was with the team from 2003-2005, to a three-year contract worth $10 million and, according to Ross Siler of the Salt Lake City Tribune, “have notified Wesley Matthews reps they won’t match [the] offer” given to him by the Portland Trail Blazers worth $34 mill

At the halfway point of the season, the Boston Red Sox are five games behind the American League East-leading New York Yankees. That doesn’t look very satisfying, but considering what they have been through it undoubtedly is. They injury bug that has hit them borders on ridiculous, with many of their impact-players on