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MLB News
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Written by The Staff
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Tuesday, 03 October 2006 06:49 |
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Fredi Gonzalez, the third base coach for the Atlanta Braves has replaced Joe Girardi as the new manager of the Florida Marlins. The move comes on the same day as Girardi's firing.
The Marlins signed Gonzalez to a three-year contract. Gonzalez was the Marlins' third base coach from 1999 through 2001. Before joining the Marlins major league club, he managed in the minor leagues for nine years, earning league manager of the year honors from Baseball America three times: in 1993 when High Desert finished 82-52 in the regular season and won the Class-A California League championship; in 1994, when Brevard County went 78-61 in the Class-A Florida State League; and in 1997, when he guided Portland (ME) to a 79-63 record and first place in the AA Eastern League. (MLB.com) |
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Written by The Staff
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Tuesday, 03 October 2006 04:33 |
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If you are shuttling between New York, Boston and Washington, you can now hop on "The Wright Flight", named after the New York Mets' All-Star third baseman, David Wright.
The plane's name and Wright's signature and jersey number (5) are next to the boarding door. "I use Delta to go home to visit family and friends," Wright said Monday, "so this will be pretty cool to take a plane named after me when I go home." (The South Florida Sun-Sentinel) |
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Written by The Staff
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Tuesday, 03 October 2006 03:24 |
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The Blue Jays made a splash this past off-season by increasing player payroll by $26,195,500, which placed their Opening Day payroll at $71,915,000 -- an increase of 57.3% over the year prior.
It appears that the Blue Jays aren't done yet. There is speculation that their payroll might rise as high as $95 million (USD) next year, although the budget process won't be finalized until the end of October. "I think in the grand scheme of things we're coming a lot closer to coming in first place," said GM J.P Ricciardi. "I don't think we're that far away. We may need a couple of shakes here and there but I think we're in a better position to do some things now." Key areas to address will be resigning Vernon Wells who becomes a free agent after the '07 season. As reported, Starter Ted Lilly, reliever Justin Speier, catchers Gregg Zaun and Bengie Molina (whose $7.5 million option won't be picked up) and left-fielder Frank Catalanotto are all headed for free agency and will have to be replaced if they're not re-signed. (The Canadian Press )
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Written by The Staff
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Tuesday, 03 October 2006 02:40 |
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What has been speculated for over a month has, today, become a reality. Joe Girardi has been fired as manager of the Florida Marlins after one season with the club. He had a three-year guaranteed contract, meaning the Marlins will have to pay him for the two seasons he would have otherwise managed.
As we reported Sunday, Fredi Gonzalez is expected to fill Girardi's shoes. As reported: Girardi's strained relationship with [owner Jeffrey] Loria and general manager Larry Beinfest became public this summer. Loria subsequently declined to endorse the job Girardi did in his first year as a manager, even though the Marlins far exceeded expectations while playing 22 rookies. The rift erupted at a game Aug. 6 when Loria berated an umpire while sitting behind the plate. From the dugout, Girardi asked the owner to stop, witnesses said. Loria angrily left his seat and confronted Girardi after the game during a 90-minute clubhouse meeting. Loria declined to comment on the episode or respond to published reports that he fired Girardi, then changed his mind. Beginning in spring training, Beinfest clashed with Girardi over personnel decisions, and during the second half of the season the general manager was rarely seen in the clubhouse or manager's office. (The South Florida Sun-Sentinel) |
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Written by The Staff
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Tuesday, 03 October 2006 02:27 |
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At the end of a three-day symposium hosted by the International Association of Athletics Federations yesterday, officials announced the need for better tracking of athletes' physiological makeup, and suggested the use of "health passports" to assist in that effort. The system would use a worldwide data base for storing and evaluating the information. As reported: "It's not that we suspect individual athletes but we wish to protect the vast majority who aren't doing anything wrong from those who try to cheat you, rob you and steal your glory," World Anti-Doping Agency executive committee member Arne Ljungqvist said. "That's why we need to profile all athletes individually." Health passports - or medical profiles - could help anti-doping agencies identify abnormalities or detect sudden changes in an athlete's blood. WADA first championed the idea in 2001, but it has recently gained momentum. Currently, testers measure athletes' samples against predetermined average levels for substances naturally occurring in the body - such as EPO and testosterone. But this potentially allows athletes with naturally low levels to cheat without being detected. The IAAF's medical and anti-doping commission hopes to launch the project before the world championships at Osaka next August. (The AP) |
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Written by The Staff
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Monday, 02 October 2006 12:00 |
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While there has been concern by fans, and even players such as Chipper Jones about possible cuts to the player patroll should MLB approve the sale of the Braves to Colorado based Liberty Media, team president Terry McGuirk says not to worry.
"I can tell you categorically — there's not going to be any cutbacks," McGuirk said Monday. McGuirk appears to be at least one component of the current front office staff that will remain with the club when MLB approves the sale. On the sale, McGuirk said, "It's overdue. Therefore it's no telling when it might get done. There's no timetable." General manager John Schuerholz and manager Bobby Cox are under contract through 2007. As reported: Atlanta's 2006 payroll was about $40 million less than Boston's and $20 million below the payroll of the NL East champion New York Mets. But it's more than five times Florida's major league-low $15 million payroll. The Marlins finished fourth in the NL East, one game behind the Braves (79-83). McGuirk said the $80 million figure has been a good level for the Braves, necessitating careful free-agent spending and more reliance on players drafted and developed by the Braves in their traditionally strong minor league organization. He believes the "Baby Braves" of 2005 re-energized the team and its fan base. "I think the proof of the pudding was there this weekend when 100,000 showed up to watch a team that was out of the playoffs," McGuirk said, referring to the crowd total for a three-game weekend series against Houston that ended Sunday, which pushed season attendance slightly above the 2005 total.
(The Atlanta Journal Constitution)
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Written by The Staff
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Monday, 02 October 2006 11:30 |
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Seems the LA Times may be in the hot seat. The big story over the weekend was a report by the LA Times stating that the names on a redacted version of papers filed in federal court during the Jason Grimsley investigation into performance enhancing drugs were Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Miguel Tejada, Brian Roberts and Jay Gibbons. Now it seems that may not necessarily be the case. The federal prosecutor overseeing the investigation is quoted as saying there are "significant inaccuracies" in the LA Times report. As reported: San Francisco U.S. Attorney Kevin Ryan issued a statement Monday, saying: "In view of the recent news reports purporting to identify certain athletes whose names had been redacted from the government's search warrant filings in the Grimsley matter, and in the interests of justice, please be advised that these reports contain significant inaccuracies." A spokesman for Ryan declined to elaborate. A spokesman for the Los Angeles Times had no immediate comment. The newspaper reported that an unidentified source with access to the document allowed the newspaper to view it, and a second source provided additional details about the document. (The AP)
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Written by The Staff
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Monday, 02 October 2006 11:19 |
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After five seasons with the San Francisco Giants, GM Brian Sabean announced Monday that Felipe Alou will not be back as manager in 2007.
The Giants had a 76-85 record and finished third-place in the National League West this season. "Tough decisions are always painful and this one is especially painful," Sabean said. "Felipe (Alou) is a man of unquestioned integrity who has put his heart and soul into the Giants. He endured some injuries to key players over his tenure here and always kept the club in contention despite some difficult circumstances. "The Giants were very fortunate to have a man of his stature at the helm of our club over the last four years and I personally thank him for his loyal efforts and significant contributions." (The AP)
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Written by Press Release
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Sunday, 01 October 2006 17:42 |
The following is the national broadcast schedule for the first four days of the 2006 American League and National League Division Series.
FOX and ESPN will provide complete coverage of all Division Series games, while ESPN Radio will provide national radio coverage. MLB International will be transmitting the entire Division Series to a worldwide audience. In addition, broadcast rightsholders from Japan and Puerto Rico will broadcast live from select Division Series games.
The remainder of the Division Series schedule will be announced later this week.
2006 DIVISION SERIES (ALL TIMES EASTERN AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Tuesday, October 3rd 1:00 p.m.: ALDS Game 1, Oakland Athletics @ Minnesota Twins, ESPN 4:00 p.m.: NLDS Game 1, St. Louis Cardinals @ San Diego Padres, ESPN 8:00 p.m.: ALDS Game 1, Detroit Tigers @ New York Yankees, FOX
Wednesday, October 4th 1:00 p.m.: ALDS Game 2, Oakland Athletics @ Minnesota Twins, ESPN 4:00 p.m.: NLDS Game 1, Los Angeles Dodgers @ New York Mets, ESPN 8:00 p.m.: ALDS Game 2, Detroit Tigers @ New York Yankees, ESPN
Thursday, October 5th 4:00 p.m.: NLDS Game 2, St. Louis Cardinals @ San Diego Padres, ESPN 8:00 p.m.: NLDS Game 2, Los Angeles Dodgers @ New York Mets, FOX
Friday, October 6th 4:00 p.m.: ALDS Game 3, Minnesota Twins @ Oakland Athletics, ESPN 8:00 p.m.: ALDS Game 3, New York Yankees @ Detroit Tigers, ESPN
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