Maple Bats: One of Baseball's Most Dangerous Weapons About two or three times a game. players swinging bats made of maple wood end up with kindling in their hands while the barrel – blunt and thick on one end, splintered and sharp on the other – flies every which direction. "Someone's going to die at a baseball stadium soon," writes Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. "Might be a player. Could be an umpire. Possibly even a fan. It almost was a coach."

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 11:31 AM CDT - 13 comments

Do not run on Rick Ankiel.

posted by justgary at 1:48 AM CDT - 30 comments

Clemens Get thumbs down for U.S. Olympic Team Bob Watson (U.S. General Manager) doesn't want the distraction from the team, and is not expecting to be overruled from higher ups.

posted by giveuptheghost at 10:04 PM CDT - 3 comments

It's been 10 years?!
That's right, 10 years since Kerry Wood tied the major league record for strikeouts in a 9-inning game.
You can watch the video highlights of the 20 strikeouts here.

posted by grum@work at 8:05 PM CDT - 12 comments

So it finally comes to an end. Julio Franco has retired.
The oldest man to hit a major league home run has finally retired from professional baseball. His announcement came after a Mexican minor league game. At the age of 49, he's finally hung up the spikes. (crazy Julio Franco trivia inside)

posted by grum@work at 10:44 PM CDT - 15 comments

Recapping baseball's weird, wild and wet first month. The cool, cruel month produced a ton of surprising stars, and an equal number of shocking individual disappointments.

posted by BoKnows at 1:13 PM CDT - 7 comments

A Strike Is a Strike, Right?

posted by justgary at 9:03 PM CDT - 18 comments

Salary vs Performance "What baseball teams are spending their money well, and how does it change over the course of the season?"

posted by terrapin at 8:40 PM CDT - 5 comments

Clemens reportedly had affair with country star Roger Clemens has another potential scandal he's already denying. He reportedly had a affair with country singer Mindy McCready in a decade-long relationship that began when she was 15 and Clemens was a 28-year old with the Red Sox. This could be especially damaging as Clemens' defamation suit against Brian McNamee proceeds.

posted by dyams at 9:54 AM CDT - 174 comments

- The Big Hurt is back in the Bay Area — and it's as if he never left - Less than a week after being released by Toronto, Frank Thomas is back in Oakland.

posted by Tinman at 5:25 PM CDT - 6 comments

Does speed kill? A thorough analysis of PitchFx data reveals some interesting things about fastball speed.

posted by yerfatma at 7:20 AM CDT - 15 comments

Jays release Frank Thomas: After a slow start, and a dispute over benching the aging star, the Blue Jays release Frank Thomas

posted by Tinman at 11:28 PM CDT - 52 comments

Fukudome doesn't find racist T-shirts in Wrigleyville funny A Fukudome T-shirt with a racist image is the hottest-selling item at a souvenir stand that sells unlicensed Cubs-related merchandise across Addison Street from the ballpark.......... The Cubs front office was flooded with angry emails from fans in response to a Sun-Times story about a controversial T-shirt being sold outside of Wrigley Field. The ballclub does the right thing (update inside) after the uproar, for those of you who feel we've licked the problem of Racism in America, Guess Again!

posted by skydivedad at 10:43 AM CDT - 185 comments

Does Evan Longoria's new contract indicate a change in approach to cost certainty for baseball management?

posted by yerfatma at 3:10 PM CDT - 4 comments

Tejada tells team he’s 33, instead of 31. Houston Astros shortstop Miguel Tejada told the team he’s actually 33, two years older than he’s listed in the club’s media guide and other baseball records after being shown a copy of his birth certificate by ESPN.

posted by BoKnows at 10:44 PM CDT - 28 comments

"Greg Maddux? I bet you could catch him with your eyes closed." What you are about to read is a story about grown men who should know better. It is included here as a means of illustrating the legend of one man and his unique place in baseball history. It should not be construed as an endorsement of the activity described, although we must admit it makes for a pretty cool story.

posted by Chargdres at 4:48 PM CDT - 22 comments

Say it ain’t so, George! Report: Boston Red Sox T-shirt buried in new Yankee Stadium by construction worker.

posted by BoKnows at 10:12 AM CDT - 41 comments