Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports: Report: McCourt borrows from sponsors, meets May payroll

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Report: McCourt borrows from sponsors, meets May payroll May 31st 2011, 21:04 Frank McCourt's mad scramble to conjure up some much-needed cash continued on Tuesday afternoon. According to a report from ESPN's Molly Knight, the Los Angeles Dodgers owner has taken cash advances from team sponsors in order to successfully meet the team's payroll for the month of May. The news comes just one month after McCourt had to take a personal $30 million loan to pay his April bills. What's next, Frank? Diving through the couch cushions for dimes and nickels to put toward June's obligations, which include a "huge chunk" of deferred money due to the long-gone Manny Ramirez? From ESPN: Since McCourt has been unable to secure traditional loans to fund the cash-strapped Dodgers, front office executives in charge of revenue were charged with finding more creative ways to help float the troubled franchise for two more weeks. Current team sponsors were contacted and offered discounts on their annual bills and luxury box stadium seats in exchange for cash up front, according to two sources. It is not known which sponsors took the offer, or the depth of discount they were given. As Knight so cleverly remarked on Twitter herself, it probably won't be long before the Dodgers take the field wearing Chico's Bail Bonds jerseys. In all seriousness, though, you have to wonder how Bud Selig and the operative he placed in the Dodgers' office allowed such a thing to happen. If the Dodgers are to remain an attractive piece for potential buyers, the team's valuable assets can't be sold off at cut-rate prices because the current owner is cash-poor. And considering that Selig reportedly blocked an earlier loan because it would have put the team's valuable TV rights in jeopardy, you have to wonder if he'll use his "best interests of baseball" clause to hook McCourt to an even shorter leash — or take control of the team entirely. Selig's reluctance to do this is probably due to the expensive legal proceedings it would provoke and the big bills that would then become the responsibility of Major League Baseball. But while Selig's original plan may have been to let McCourt bleed himself, it may not be much longer before Selig is forced to take action earlier than he would have liked.

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Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports: Report: McCourt borrows from sponsors, meets May payroll

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports Latest Big League Stew - MLB from Yahoo! Sports Report: McCourt borrows from sponsors, meets May payroll 31 May 2011, 10:04 pm Frank McCourt's mad scramble to conjure up some much-needed cash continued on Tuesday afternoon. According to a report from ESPN's Molly Knight, the Los Angeles Dodgers owner has taken cash advances from team sponsors in order to successfully meet the team's payroll for the month of May. The news comes just one month after McCourt had to take a personal $30 million loan to pay his April bills. What's next, Frank? Diving through the couch cushions for dimes and nickels to put toward June's obligations, which include a "huge chunk" of deferred money due to the long-gone Manny Ramirez? From ESPN: Since McCourt has been unable to secure traditional loans to fund the cash-strapped Dodgers, front office executives in charge of revenue were charged with finding more creative ways to help float the troubled franchise for two more weeks. Current team sponsors were contacted and offered discounts on their annual bills and luxury box stadium seats in exchange for cash up front, according to two sources. It is not known which sponsors took the offer, or the depth of discount they were given. As Knight so cleverly remarked on Twitter herself, it probably won't be long before the Dodgers take the field wearing Chico's Bail Bonds jerseys. In all seriousness, though, you have to wonder how Bud Selig and the operative he placed in the Dodgers' office allowed such a thing to happen. If the Dodgers are to remain an attractive piece for potential buyers, the team's valuable assets can't be sold off at cut-rate prices because the current owner is cash-poor. And considering that Selig reportedly blocked an earlier loan because it would have put the team's valuable TV rights in jeopardy, you have to wonder if he'll use his "best interests of baseball" clause to hook McCourt to an even shorter leash — or take control of the team entirely. Selig's reluctance to do this is probably due to the expensive legal proceedings it would provoke and the big bills that would then become the responsibility of Major League Baseball. But while Selig's original plan may have been to let McCourt bleed himself, it may not be much longer before Selig is forced to take action earlier than he would have liked. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports: Video: Serviceman’s surprise marriage proposal at Royals game

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports Latest Big League Stew - MLB from Yahoo! Sports Video: Serviceman’s surprise marriage proposal at Royals game 31 May 2011, 9:15 pm Seen one ballpark marriage proposal, seen 'em all .. right? Not quite. Check out what happened at Kauffman Stadium during the game between the Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Angels on Monday as a serviceman proposed to his girlfriend on the team's super-ginormous scoreboard ... then surprised her with an earlier than expected homecoming right there on the dugout roof. Something tells me the Royals waived their usual $500 fee and "no custom proposal" rules for this one: Great, great stuff. Best wishes to the happy couple for a true Royal wedding. (Check out another angle of the proposal over on MLB.com.) You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports: Photo: Twins force mascot to dig team’s collective grave

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Photo: Twins force mascot to dig team’s collective grave May 31st 2011, 19:45 Thanks to the Minnesota Twins and their mascot, T.C. Bear, the long-pondered question —  "Does a bear dig in the woods?" — has finally been answered. Sorry, fur ball, but there will be no great escape from the Twinned Cities in 2011. And let's pick up the digging, T.C. Deeper! Wider! Faster! Bah! You couldn't bury Delmon Young's pet turtle in that mud puddle! Really, it's a dirty, rotten shame the Twins season has come down to this. Winners of the past two AL Central championships, and six titles since 2002, the franchise has fallen on hard times in 2011. Reigning MVP Joe Mauer has been hurt, other players have been injured, and most others are under-performing. So how can we blame the Twins for their marching orders? Collectively being put down humanely and returned to the forest for eternity is the dignified way to end things. OK, we're kidding! The mascot is not really going Goodfellas on the Twins. The photo only makes it seem like T.C. is digging a grave for the team, which sports a major-league worst record of 17-35 (yikes) and already finds itself 14 1/2 games out of first place in the AL Central (zoinks!) as of Tuesday afternoon. Mr. Bear really is digging a hole so that a spruce tree — a former resident of the batting eye at Target Field — can be transplanted to a berm at the Zumbrota Mazeppa High School baseball field. (Zumbrota Mazeppa: An underrated album by the Police, or the long-lost Marx Brother?) The spruce, one of 14 removed from an area beyond center field because they supposedly interfered with batters' concentration at Target, was won by a season-ticket holder who is donating it to the high school. Yes, Twins authorities: Tree branches swaying in the downtown Minneapolis breeze is obviously why the team is bringing up the major league rear in offense. Can you dig where we're coming from? Follow Dave on Twitter — @AnswerDave — and engage the Stew on Facebook

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Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports: Video: Soldier surprises girlfriend with proposal at Royals game

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Video: Soldier surprises girlfriend with proposal at Royals game May 31st 2011, 20:15 Seen one ballpark marriage proposal, seen 'em all .. right? Not quite. Check out what happened at Kauffman Stadium during the game between the Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Angels on Monday as a soldier proposed to his girlfriend on the team's super-ginormous scoreboard ... then surprised her with an earlier than expected homecoming right there on the dugout roof. Something tells me the Royals waived their usual $500 fee and "no custom proposal" rules for this one: Great, great stuff. Best wishes to the happy couple for a true Royal wedding. (Check out another angle of the proposal over on MLB.com.)

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Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports: Photo: Twins force mascot to dig team’s collective grave

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports Latest Big League Stew - MLB from Yahoo! Sports Photo: Twins force mascot to dig team’s collective grave 31 May 2011, 8:45 pm Thanks to the Minnesota Twins and their mascot, T.C. Bear, the long-pondered question —  "Does a bear dig in the woods?" — has finally been answered. Sorry, fur ball, but there will be no great escape from the Twinned Cities in 2011. And let's pick up the digging, T.C. Deeper! Wider! Faster! Bah! You couldn't bury Delmon Young's pet turtle in that mud puddle! Really, it's a dirty, rotten shame the Twins season has come down to this. Winners of the past two AL Central championships, and six titles since 2002, the franchise has fallen on hard times in 2011. Reigning MVP Joe Mauer has been hurt, other players have been injured, and most others are under-performing. So how can we blame the Twins for their marching orders? Collectively being put down humanely and returned to the forest for eternity is the dignified way to end things. OK, we're kidding! The mascot is not really going Goodfellas on the Twins. The photo only makes it seem like T.C. is digging a grave for the team, which sports a major-league worst record of 17-35 (yikes) and already finds itself 14 1/2 games out of first place in the AL Central (zoinks!) as of Tuesday afternoon. Mr. Bear really is digging a hole so that a spruce tree — a former resident of the batting eye at Target Field — can be transplanted to a berm at the Zumbrota Mazeppa High School baseball field. (Zumbrota Mazeppa: An underrated album by the Police, or the long-lost Marx Brother?) The spruce, one of 14 removed from an area beyond center field because they supposedly interfered with batters' concentration at Target, was won by a season-ticket holder who is donating it to the high school. Yes, Twins authorities: Tree branches swaying in the downtown Minneapolis breeze is obviously why the team is bringing up the major league rear in offense. Can you dig where we're coming from? Follow Dave on Twitter — @AnswerDave — and engage the Stew on Facebook You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports: Video: Soldier surprises girlfriend with proposal at Royals game

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports Latest Big League Stew - MLB from Yahoo! Sports Video: Soldier surprises girlfriend with proposal at Royals game 31 May 2011, 9:15 pm Seen one ballpark marriage proposal, seen 'em all .. right? Not quite. Check out what happened at Kauffman Stadium during the game between the Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Angels on Monday as a soldier proposed to his girlfriend on the team's super-ginormous scoreboard ... then surprised her with an earlier than expected homecoming right there on the dugout roof. Something tells me the Royals waived their usual $500 fee and "no custom proposal" rules for this one: Great, great stuff. Best wishes to the happy couple for a true Royal wedding. (Check out another angle of the proposal over on MLB.com.) You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports: MLB looks down on fan-organized bid to purchase Mets

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports Latest Big League Stew - MLB from Yahoo! Sports MLB looks down on fan-organized bid to purchase Mets 31 May 2011, 7:09 pm Whenever a baseball team goes up for sale, you can be sure that an organized movement for a fan-backed purchased will almost always follow suit. Hey, as the hopeful leaders remind us, it worked for the Green Bay Packers and the fans in Wisconsin that one time! That one-in-a-thousand situation up in the Dairy State may be paying off, but here's some disheartening news for the enthusiastic and civic-minded Los Angeles Dodgers fans at ownthedodgers.com: A similar plan floated by buythemets.com received the stink-eye from Major League Baseball when the Wilpon family put a minority share of the New York Mets up for sale. At least that's what the New York Post is reporting: A group of Big Apple wheelers and dealers from investment bank Tritaurian Capital concocted a plan to buy a minority stake in the MLB team from financially-troubled owner Fred Wilpon partly by selling shares priced at $999 each to thousands of Mets fans, and also by raising money from institutional investors. The BuytheMets group submitted a bid for the Mets, but MLB —which must approve any investor who buys more than 10 percent of the team — was less than thrilled by the idea of the team selling a significant stake to a group that included thousands of investors, sources said. Of course, now it looks like the Mets (and Major League Baseball) have found their guy in hedge fund honcho (and Microsoft gambler) David Einhorn. So any bid from a fan collective now appears to be moot unless Einhorn's finances collapse before he's officially approved to infuse his much-needed cash into in the Mets. But, really, this should come as a surprise when Bud Selig and his cabal of owners prefer that every owner fit the same rich yet compliant profile. Why even take a second look at a group of thousands (and encourage similar collective bids for future team sales) when you can maintain the status quo by selecting from a pool of eager and singular buyers? Why allow thousands through the door when you only have to tab just one for entrance into the exclusive club? Also, it's interesting to note that many people seem to believe that a community-based ownership group is the golden ticket to success when it really may be far from the case. The long-term success of the Packers has been based on hiring the right people to steer and run the franchise, something that would be far from a certainty if a similar purchase were to take place anywhere else. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports: MLB looks down on fan-organized bid to purchase Mets

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports Latest Big League Stew - MLB from Yahoo! Sports

MLB looks down on fan-organized bid to purchase Mets May 31st 2011, 18:09 Whenever a baseball team goes up for sale, you can be sure that an organized movement for a fan-backed purchased will almost always follow suit. Hey, as the hopeful leaders remind us, it worked for the Green Bay Packers and the fans in Wisconsin that one time! That one-in-a-thousand situation up in the Dairy State may be paying off, but here's some disheartening news for the enthusiastic and civic-minded Los Angeles Dodgers fans at ownthedodgers.com: A similar plan floated by buythemets.com received the stink-eye from Major League Baseball when the Wilpon family put a minority share of the New York Mets up for sale. At least that's what the New York Post is reporting: A group of Big Apple wheelers and dealers from investment bank Tritaurian Capital concocted a plan to buy a minority stake in the MLB team from financially-troubled owner Fred Wilpon partly by selling shares priced at $999 each to thousands of Mets fans, and also by raising money from institutional investors. The BuytheMets group submitted a bid for the Mets, but MLB —which must approve any investor who buys more than 10 percent of the team — was less than thrilled by the idea of the team selling a significant stake to a group that included thousands of investors, sources said. Of course, now it looks like the Mets (and Major League Baseball) have found their guy in hedge fund honcho (and Microsoft gambler) David Einhorn. So any bid from a fan collective now appears to be moot unless Einhorn's finances collapse before he's officially approved to infuse his much-needed cash into in the Mets. But, really, this should come as a surprise when Bud Selig and his cabal of owners prefer that every owner fit the same rich yet compliant profile. Why even take a second look at a group of thousands (and encourage similar collective bids for future team sales) when you can maintain the status quo by selecting from a pool of eager and singular buyers? Why allow thousands through the door when you only have to tab just one for entrance into the exclusive club? Also, it's interesting to note that many people seem to believe that a community-based ownership group is the golden ticket to success when it really may be far from the case. The long-term success of the Packers has been based on hiring the right people to steer and run the franchise, something that would be far from a certainty if a similar purchase were to take place anywhere else.

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Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports: The Colorado Rockies ‘Stars and Stripes’ caps again look awkward

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports Latest Big League Stew - MLB from Yahoo! Sports The Colorado Rockies ‘Stars and Stripes’ caps again look awkward 31 May 2011, 5:12 pm Major League Baseball rolled out the 2011 version of its patriotic Stars and Stripes caps on Monday and I have to admit that some of them looked better than originally thought. A few teams with blue in their color scheme appeared sharp with the blue caps while red-based teams were also able to pull it off no matter how many people made jokes about ice cream men on Twitter. (Roy Halladay looked best, I think.) But the Rockies ... oh, those poor Colorado Rockies. Their trademark purple means they're always going to look out of sorts when Memorial Day, July 4 or 9/11 rolls around. Can't we grant them a special dispensation from the tradition on those dates? What did you think of your team's Stars and Stripes cap? You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports: The Colorado Rockies ‘Stars and Stripes’ caps again look awkward

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports Latest Big League Stew - MLB from Yahoo! Sports

The Colorado Rockies ‘Stars and Stripes’ caps again look awkward May 31st 2011, 16:12 Major League Baseball rolled out the 2011 version of its patriotic Stars and Stripes caps on Monday and I have to admit that some of them looked better than originally thought. A few teams with blue in their color scheme appeared sharp with the blue caps while red-based teams were also able to pull it off no matter how many people made jokes about ice cream men on Twitter. (Roy Halladay looked best, I think.) But the Rockies ... oh, those poor Colorado Rockies. Their trademark purple means they're always going to look out of sorts when Memorial Day, July 4 or 9/11 rolls around. Can't we grant them a special dispensation from the tradition on those dates? What did you think of your team's Stars and Stripes cap?

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Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports: Brian Wilson honors father with record donation to Air Force

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports Latest Big League Stew - MLB from Yahoo! Sports Brian Wilson honors father with record donation to Air Force 31 May 2011, 2:55 pm Brian Wilson's eccentric appearance means that he's best-known for some of his crazier actions: Dressing up like a sea captain, hanging out with Charlie Sheen and "The Machine," to name a few. But anyone who saw Wilson rage with YouTube star Keenan Cahill while raising money for charity knows that the San Francisco Giants pitcher has an oversized soft and sincere side. That reputation was underscored on Monday when it was announced that Wilson had made the biggest individual donation in the 65-year history of the Air Force Academy's scholarship fund. That's one heck of a way to observe Memorial Day. For the next five years, Wilson will put his money where his beard is and endow two scholarships for Air Force ROTC cadets from across the country. Wilson's donation was a natural one as he has close ties to the Air Force. His father, Michael Wilson, was an Airman and Wilson grew up on an Air Force base in New England. Michael Wilson died from cancer when Brian was in high school and the pitcher famously marks every save with a special signal to his father (sometimes to the chagrin of opponents). But he says this tribute is something even bigger: "My father passed away and ever since, I wanted to do something in his honor," Wilson told Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. "Now that I'm grounded contractually, I felt it was necessary not just to donate money, but to see where it goes. It'll bridge the gap between the finding they get and the funding they'll need." In addition to the obvious, one of the neat things about this scholarship is that it's sort of a combination of two well-known philanthropic efforts from other Giants. Barry Zito runs the excellent "Strikeouts For Troops" and it was recently revealed that Barry Bonds will be footing the college bills for the children of beaten Giants fan Bryan Stow. Wilson signed an extension in 2010 that will pay him a total of $15 million for this season and the next. After that, he'll have one more year of arbitration eligibility. After seeing him share his wealth in such a giving and inspiring way, the Giants should be able to feel a little bit better about giving him the dollars he'll likely command. For more information on the Michael Wilson scholarship — including requirements and how to apply —  visit afa.org/MichaelWilson. Want more baseball news all season long? Follow Big League Stew on Facebook and Twitter! You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports: Brian Wilson honors father with record donation to Air Force

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports Latest Big League Stew - MLB from Yahoo! Sports

Brian Wilson honors father with record donation to Air Force May 31st 2011, 13:55 Brian Wilson's eccentric appearance means that he's best-known for some of his crazier actions: Dressing up like a sea captain, hanging out with Charlie Sheen and "The Machine," to name a few. But anyone who saw Wilson rage with YouTube star Keenan Cahill while raising money for charity knows that the San Francisco Giants pitcher has an oversized soft and sincere side. That reputation was underscored on Monday when it was announced that Wilson had made the biggest individual donation in the 65-year history of the Air Force Academy's scholarship fund. That's one heck of a way to observe Memorial Day. For the next five years, Wilson will put his money where his beard is and endow two scholarships for Air Force ROTC cadets from across the country. Wilson's donation was a natural one as he has close ties to the Air Force. His father, Michael Wilson, was an Airman and Wilson grew up on an Air Force base in New England. Michael Wilson died from cancer when Brian was in high school and the pitcher famously marks every save with a special signal to his father (sometimes to the chagrin of opponents). But he says this tribute is something even bigger: "My father passed away and ever since, I wanted to do something in his honor," Wilson told Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. "Now that I'm grounded contractually, I felt it was necessary not just to donate money, but to see where it goes. It'll bridge the gap between the finding they get and the funding they'll need." In addition to the obvious, one of the neat things about this scholarship is that it's sort of a combination of two well-known philanthropic efforts from other Giants. Barry Zito runs the excellent "Strikeouts For Troops" and it was recently revealed that Barry Bonds will be footing the college bills for the children of beaten Giants fan Bryan Stow. Wilson signed an extension in 2010 that will pay him a total of $15 million for this season and the next. After that, he'll have one more year of arbitration eligibility. After seeing him share his wealth in such a giving and inspiring way, the Giants should be able to feel a little bit better about giving him the dollars he'll likely command. For more information on the Michael Wilson scholarship — including requirements and how to apply —  visit afa.org/MichaelWilson. Want more baseball news all season long? Follow Big League Stew on Facebook and Twitter!

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Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports: The Juice: Soria hit hard again, removes self as Royals closer

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The Juice: Soria hit hard again, removes self as Royals closer May 31st 2011, 08:59 Nine innings, nine items to get you going. Ladies and gentleman of the Stew, take a sip of morning Juice. 1. Calling all Angels, calling all Angels: Joakim Soria apparently demoted himself as closer after another implosion, his fifth blown save in 12 opportunities. Torii Hunter hiit two home runs, iincluding the go-ahead blow iin the niinth to power the Angels 10-8 comeback. Righty Aaron Crow will close for now. 2. Fuel-injected Colon: Bartolo Colon is pitching like he did in his Cy Young days, tossing a four-hitter for the New York Yankees in his first shutout in in nearly five years, a 5-0 victory against the Athletics. 3. They do know where home plate is: Is it just talking a bit in its sleep, or is the Los Angeles Dodgers offense waking up? They've managed 15 runs and 28 hits combined in their past two victories after beating the Colorado Rockies 7-1. Send thank-yous to  James Loney, for the home run and three RBI. Oh, and the ballpark caught on fire again. 4. What price victory? The Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins 6-5, but they should think about giving it back. 5. Rising Phoenix: The Arizona Diamondbacks are just showing off now; Seven straight victories after routing the Fish 15-4. Kelly Johnson had a club record four extra-base hits and fell short of the cycle by a lousy single. 6. Mitchslapped: Mike Napoli went deep twice to power the Texas Rangers in an 11-5 victory against the Rays, but my favorite home run of the day had to be the one hit by Mitch Moreland. It hit the "D" ring at Tropicana Field, and might have hit his own face on the scoreboard were it not stopped short. Watch it. 7. Happy Halladay, pretty much: The Philadelphia Phillies edged the Nationals 5-4, but they made Roy Halladay work for it: He allowed three homers. Check out the sweat flying off his body in this photo by @CNichols14. 8. Jo-Jo won-won? For real-real! Jo-Jo Reyes ended the unluckiest pitching streak in the history of streaks in the Toronto Blue Jays 11-1 stampede against the Cleveland Indians. Good for him-him. 9. Whose Sox are better? The White ones, after Jake Peavy and Paul Konerko led Chicago to a 7-3 victory at Fenway against the Other Sox. Extra frame: Kyle Phillips, the San Diego Padres' backup catcher, hit the tie-breaking homer in the 10th to power a 3-2 victory at Atlanta. Follow Dave on Twitter — @AnswerDave — and engage the Stew on Facebook

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Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports: The Juice: Soria hit hard again, removes self as Royals closer

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports Latest Big League Stew - MLB from Yahoo! Sports The Juice: Soria hit hard again, removes self as Royals closer 31 May 2011, 9:59 am Nine innings, nine items to get you going. Ladies and gentleman of the Stew, take a sip of morning Juice. 1. Calling all Angels, calling all Angels: Joakim Soria apparently demoted himself as closer after another implosion, his fifth blown save in 12 opportunities. Torii Hunter hiit two home runs, iincluding the go-ahead blow iin the niinth to power the Angels 10-8 comeback. Righty Aaron Crow will close for now. 2. Fuel-injected Colon: Bartolo Colon is pitching like he did in his Cy Young days, tossing a four-hitter for the New York Yankees in his first shutout in in nearly five years, a 5-0 victory against the Athletics. 3. They do know where home plate is: Is it just talking a bit in its sleep, or is the Los Angeles Dodgers offense waking up? They've managed 15 runs and 28 hits combined in their past two victories after beating the Colorado Rockies 7-1. Send thank-yous to  James Loney, for the home run and three RBI. Oh, and the ballpark caught on fire again. 4. What price victory? The Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins 6-5, but they should think about giving it back. 5. Rising Phoenix: The Arizona Diamondbacks are just showing off now; Seven straight victories after routing the Fish 15-4. Kelly Johnson had a club record four extra-base hits and fell short of the cycle by a lousy single. 6. Mitchslapped: Mike Napoli went deep twice to power the Texas Rangers in an 11-5 victory against the Rays, but my favorite home run of the day had to be the one hit by Mitch Moreland. It hit the "D" ring at Tropicana Field, and might have hit his own face on the scoreboard were it not stopped short. Watch it. 7. Happy Halladay, pretty much: The Philadelphia Phillies edged the Nationals 5-4, but they made Roy Halladay work for it: He allowed three homers. Check out the sweat flying off his body in this photo by @CNichols14. 8. Jo-Jo won-won? For real-real! Jo-Jo Reyes ended the unluckiest pitching streak in the history of streaks in the Toronto Blue Jays 11-1 stampede against the Cleveland Indians. Good for him-him. 9. Whose Sox are better? The White ones, after Jake Peavy and Paul Konerko led Chicago to a 7-3 victory at Fenway against the Other Sox. Extra frame: Kyle Phillips, the San Diego Padres' backup catcher, hit the tie-breaking homer in the 10th to power a 3-2 victory at Atlanta. Follow Dave on Twitter — @AnswerDave — and engage the Stew on Facebook You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports: More replay video, please: Disputed call hands Tigers winning run

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports Latest Big League Stew - MLB from Yahoo! Sports

More replay video, please: Disputed call hands Tigers winning run May 31st 2011, 07:19 When will Major League Baseball expand the use of video replay to assist its umpires? What happened to the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park on Monday afternoon offers yet another reason why the league ought to do just that. Umpires incorrectly ruled fan interference on a ball Alex Avila of the Detroit Tigers hit down the left-field line, and awarded home to baserunner Jhonny Peralta when they should have made him go back to third base. Peralta's tie-breaking run, coming with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, was the deciding margin in the Tigers' 6-5 victory. An argument with umpires led to the ejection of Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, who said everything the umps did and said about the play made no sense to him. Watch the play Here's the umpire's story: "We ruled spectator interference and we ruled the runner would have scored without it," said crew chief Gary Darling, who was umpiring third base. The AP had an accurate account of the ball's trail, and it contradicts some of what Darling said: Darling said the interference came from a fan in an orange shirt. Replays showed a fan in an orange shirt standing next to a child in a small area of seats that angles out toward the field near the left-field line. The ball appeared to bounce up and hit the fan while he was simply standing there. That was after a couple other fans along the fence reached over toward the ball, although it wasn't clear if it touched any of them. First of all, what are Tigers fans, in their home park, doing reaching for a ball hit by one of their own guys? Keep your grubby hands inside the ballpark at all times — especially if it might cost your team the game if you don't. Dunderheads. Second, it's not fan interference if the ball jumps into the stands — it's just a ground-rule double. But, ruling it fan interference conveniently allowed the umpires to use their own judgment as to whether Peralta would have scored. Umps usually just give the batting team two bases, but this time they went activist. Why they were persuaded that Peralta would have scored anyway, nobody can possibly explain. He had not passed third base by the time the play was stopped, and he doesn't exactly run like Austin Jackson. Regardless, Peralta should have been sent back to third base. And that's how the umps would have ruled, if video replay weren't only used for disputable home run calls. Or, at least they would have less of an excuse for blowing the call. It wasn't quite another Armando Galarraga-Jim Joyce scenario, which also happened at Comerica, but you couldn't help but think again of that day. And of how expanded replay might have helped get an important call right. Follow Dave on Twitter — @AnswerDave — and engage the Stew on Facebook

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Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports: More replay video, please: Disputed call hands Tigers winning run

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports Latest Big League Stew - MLB from Yahoo! Sports More replay video, please: Disputed call hands Tigers winning run 31 May 2011, 8:19 am When will Major League Baseball expand the use of video replay to assist its umpires? What happened to the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park on Monday afternoon offers yet another reason why the league ought to do just that. Umpires incorrectly ruled fan interference on a ball Alex Avila of the Detroit Tigers hit down the left-field line, and awarded home to baserunner Jhonny Peralta when they should have made him go back to third base. Peralta's tie-breaking run, coming with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, was the deciding margin in the Tigers' 6-5 victory. An argument with umpires led to the ejection of Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, who said everything the umps did and said about the play made no sense to him. Watch the play Here's the umpire's story: "We ruled spectator interference and we ruled the runner would have scored without it," said crew chief Gary Darling, who was umpiring third base. The AP had an accurate account of the ball's trail, and it contradicts some of what Darling said: Darling said the interference came from a fan in an orange shirt. Replays showed a fan in an orange shirt standing next to a child in a small area of seats that angles out toward the field near the left-field line. The ball appeared to bounce up and hit the fan while he was simply standing there. That was after a couple other fans along the fence reached over toward the ball, although it wasn't clear if it touched any of them. First of all, what are Tigers fans, in their home park, doing reaching for a ball hit by one of their own guys? Keep your grubby hands inside the ballpark at all times — especially if it might cost your team the game if you don't. Dunderheads. Second, it's not fan interference if the ball jumps into the stands — it's just a ground-rule double. But, ruling it fan interference conveniently allowed the umpires to use their own judgment as to whether Peralta would have scored. Umps usually just give the batting team two bases, but this time they went activist. Why they were persuaded that Peralta would have scored anyway, nobody can possibly explain. He had not passed third base by the time the play was stopped, and he doesn't exactly run like Austin Jackson. Regardless, Peralta should have been sent back to third base. And that's how the umps would have ruled, if video replay weren't only used for disputable home run calls. Or, at least they would have less of an excuse for blowing the call. It wasn't quite another Armando Galarraga-Jim Joyce scenario, which also happened at Comerica, but you couldn't help but think again of that day. And of how expanded replay might have helped get an important call right. Follow Dave on Twitter — @AnswerDave — and engage the Stew on Facebook You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.