Baseball

"It's typical for an athletes' appearance to change after they retire from professional sports -- they pack on a few pounds and age like normal people. But there's something stunningly different about Sammy Sosa's post-baseball look. Recent photos snapped of the former Chicago Cubs slugger show a shocking transformation: his skin is turning white -- stark white." - Brad Williamson from Bookmarklet

Michael Jackson Syndrome? - MVB (Curmudgeon of FF) from fftogo

"Confetti-crazed Yankee fans in buildings along the parade route decided to use confidential financial documents in place of ticker tape -- literally tossing common sense out the window. While the Downtown Alliance distributed more than half a ton of recycled confetti to buildings, some office workers, in their enthusiasm, dumped entire files over the Canyon of Heroes. "We're finding pay stubs. We're finding personal financial information. We found a balance sheet of someone's trust fund showing $300,000 in stock," said Damian Salo, 29, an internal auditor attending the parade with friends." - Bill Sodeman from Bookmarklet

""It's terrible. Here's the VP of a financial-services company; he makes over $200,000," he added, holding a pay stub. Some of the documents came from the Liberty Street financial firm A.L. Sarroff, including their client accounts, with Social Security numbers and detailed banking data. "They're records that should have been shredded," said firm founder Alan Sarroff. "An overzealous employee threw them out the window. He was reprimanded."" - Bill Sodeman

"Manny Ramirez is coming back to the Dodgers next season. The team said Friday that the slugger exercised his $20 million contract option for 2010. His agent Scott Boras informed Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti of the decision." - Bill Sodeman from Bookmarklet

" On Oct. 30, the Ricketts family were announced as the new owners of the Cubs, buying the team, Wrigley Field and a share in Comcast SportsNet Chicago for $845 million from the Tribune Co, according to MLB.com. Among the purchasers is Laura Ricketts, a lesbian who now becomes the first out individual to own a professional sports team, according to MarketToMarketLLC.com. According to ABC7Chicago.com, Laura, who lives in Chicago, is a member of the board of Lambda Legal, a national organization fighting for gay rights—including same sex marriage." - Bill Sodeman from Bookmarklet

"After 12 hours of deliberation, a Helena jury sided with the parents of former Miles City American Legion baseball pitcher Brandon Patch in a civil suit over the player's death during a 2003 game in Helena. At least eight of the 12 jurors agreed Wednesday, aluminum bat maker Hillerich & Bradsby failed to provide adequate warning as to the dangers of the bat used by a Helena Senators player during the game." - Bill Sodeman from Bookmarklet

""There's no other goal," pitcher A.J. Burnett said. "Somebody said in spring training -- I don't remember who it was -- that if you don't win the World Series, it's a failure. And I agree." So do millions of others. Former Yankees manager Joe Torre has often told a story from spring training 2002, when a fan told him, "Too bad about last year. You'll do better this year." In that "last year," 2001, the Yankees were two outs away from a fourth straight World Series title with Mariano Rivera on the mound." - Bill Sodeman from Bookmarklet

The ball hit the ground, so the base coaches told the hitter to start running. - Bill Sodeman from Bookmarklet

Once upon a time, the Dodgers moved to L.A. - and they didn't want another American League franchise to spoil their fun. - Bill Sodeman from Bookmarklet

"On the day when Bob Nightengale of USA Today said other MLB teams were scouting B.J. Upton because they believe the Rays will look to trade him in the offseason, Upton put on a show for everyone watching. Upton seems unaffected by the talks and made a history by becoming the first Rays player in franchise history to hit for the cycle." - Bill Sodeman from Bookmarklet

"A new book alleges that workers at an Arizona cryogenics facility routinely abused the disembodied head of the Hall of Fame slugger and "gleefully" took photos of it. Sadly "Frozen," written by former Alcor lab exec Larry Johnson, doesn't stop there with the gruesome details. According to the book, Williams head was "crudely" removed from his body by untrained workers and placed upon a tuna can for safekeeping. When his head stuck to the can, a worker reportedly hit it with a wrench to dislodge it." - Brad Williamson from Bookmarklet

ARE. YOU. KIDDING. ME. ;-( - Brad Williamson

If these reports are true, Alcor is toast. - Bill Sodeman

Absolutely incredible... - Brad Williamson from Bookmarklet

Un-fracking-beeeeee-lievable! - Bill Sodeman

"It's not just the artificial turf. Or the noise level. And the seats that don't point the right way for baseball. "Playing inside is not fun," former Twins center fielder Torii Hunter said. "It's not baseball." In Minnesota, summer doesn't last very long -- and it's gorgeous. Who wants to spend it indoors?" - Bill Sodeman from Bookmarklet

Indians fans are not happy these days. The '09 Tribe is stuck deep in the cellar of the AL. - Bill Sodeman from Bookmarklet

"For better or worse, the Giants this week at least determined one significant issue if they tie the Rockies after 162 games in the race for the National League's Wild Card berth. By virtue of winning the season series, 10-8, they will host a one-game Wild Card playoff game on Oct. 5 at AT&T Park. After a 4-3 loss on Wednesday night at San Francisco, the Giants trail the Rockies by 3 1/2 games. For the first time this year, tiebreakers are in and coin flips are out. "That was a general managers' recommendation, as you know," Commissioner Bud Selig said, "and it was a good one."" - Bill Sodeman from Bookmarklet

Good choice. I hate all coin tosses in sports except for who gets the ball first. - Matt Hilton

"I've been staring at this picture for 15 minutes trying to figure out which (Red Sox fan) reaction is my favorite." Follow the bouncing ball! - Bill Sodeman from Bookmarklet

Great shot! - Jay M.

And her dad gave her a hug anyway... :) - Bill Sodeman from Bookmarklet

Didn't the mlb take down the clip? - Amani

Try this page: http://mlb.mlb.com/news... - Bill Sodeman

"Evan Longoria is just the 9th big leaguer to have 30 home runs, 40 doubles and 100 RBI prior to turning 24. The others? Maybe some names you have heard before: Ted Williams, Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols, Hal Trosky, Scott Rolen, Eric Chavez, Aramis Ramirez and Miguel Cabrera." - Bill Sodeman from Bookmarklet

What a mess... - Ben Hanten

"expensive parking" - Ben Hanten

"They are just kids, and boy, can they do some of the darndest things. Neftali Feliz, 21, spent part of last week apologizing to teammates for showing up late after getting lost driving to the ballpark. Tommy Hunter, 23, still pays the price for a practical joke he pulled on a veteran in the spring. And Derek Holland, 22, was naive enough to believe Benihana, a Japanese-style restaurant, serves Italian food." - Brad Williamson from Bookmarklet

"“It is an exterior panel that hung on the cables outside of Shea in 1964,” she responded, confirming my initial reaction. “They were blue & orange.” Mary Ellen was referring, of course, to the amazing corrugated metal panels that adorned Shea Stadium for the first 16 years of its existence. I’ve written about them several times over the years and had always been told that they’d been discarded shortly after they were removed in 1980. So how did Mary Ellen get one?" - Bill Sodeman from Bookmarklet

"The Mets' new $850 million stadium is breaking down at about the same rate as its beleaguered lineup, the Post has learned. Less than a season old, Citi Field has been plagued by water damage to several luxury suites -- including Jerry Seinfeld's -- as well as mold, falling signs and concrete, flooding in outfield seats, faulty electrical wiring and shoddy tile work, sources said." - Bill Sodeman from Bookmarklet

Shoulda bought the extended warranty! - Bill Sodeman

The red lines indicate injuries - and the '09 Mets got hurt a LOT. - Bill Sodeman from Bookmarklet

"Join us now on a journey through the outer borough's season of hell, as we look back on the losingest bunch of losers who ever lost a baseball game." - Bill Sodeman from Bookmarklet

The Dodgers acquired slugger Jim Thome from the White Sox and right-hander Jon Garland from the Diamondbacks on Monday after both players cleared waivers. - Shey, Jamaican of FF from Bookmarklet

"If you’re out of town and on the move and still want to watch your favorite baseball team, Major League Baseball is about to make you a very interesting offer: The ability to watch a game streamed live to your iPhone, for 99 cents a pop." - Brad Williamson from Bookmarklet

Aaaaaaand, of course, black out restrictions apply ;-( - Brad Williamson

I bought the MLB iPhone app for $10 earlier this seasion, and I've got MLB.TV for my computer. This 99-cents offer looks more like a means of recruiting more subscription users. - Bill Sodeman