Red Sox hire ex-major leaguer Bogar from Rays

BOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox have hired former major leaguer and Tampa Bay Rays coach Tim Bogar as their new first base coach.

The 44-year-old replaces Luis Alicea, the only member of last year's staff who was not offered a contract for the 2009 season. Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein announced Bogar's hiring Friday.

Last year, Bogar was an infield and baserunning coach for the 2008 American League champion Rays.

Before joining the Rays, he spent four seasons as a manager in the Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros minor league systems.

Bogar played for the New York Mets, Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers from 1993 to 2001.


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Agent: No K-Rod discussions until winter meetings

NEW YORK -- Francisco Rodriguez's agent won't start discussions with teams until the winter meetings open in Las Vegas on Dec. 8. Francisco Rodriguez

Relief Pitcher
Los Angeles Angels

Profile

2008 Season StatsGMWLBBKERA762334772.24 Paul Kinzer, who represents the free-agent closer, doesn't expect the marketplace to get busy for another 10 days.

"I'll probably see the Mets at the winter meetings. I don't have anything else planned," he said Wednesday.

After saving a major league-record 62 games for the Los Angeles Angels, K-Rod is seeking a five-year contract averaging about $15 million per season. The Mets, needing a closer following Billy Wagner's elbow operation, are viewed as a key suitor.

Kinzer wouldn't identify any of the other teams he spoke with. He doesn't expect Rodriguez to reach an agreement in the next week or two.

"I think it will be after the winter meetings. I don't know how long after," he said. "It doesn't take long after you get this started and everybody starts talking."

Only two of the 171 free agents have reached agreements. All-Star pitcher Ryan Dempster stayed with the Chicago Cubs for a $52 million, four-year contract, and lefty reliever Jeremy Affeldt left Cincinnati for an $8 million, two-year deal with the San Francisco Giants.

Kinzer spent Tuesday in Oakland, Calif., with another free-agent client, Rafael Furcal. The shortstop was shown around by the Athletics.

"They wanted him to see where the players and where the coaches live, the manager," Kinzer said. "He had no idea it was that beautiful just over the mountain there. Everybody treated him great. He enjoyed the visit."

Furcal, who spent the last three seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, also is of interest to the San Francisco Giants. He, too, will take some time to make a decision on his next club.

"We aren't there yet," Kinzer said.

Scott Boras' clients usually sign later in the offseason, and his deals could help set market prices. Among the free agents he represents are outfielders Manny Ramirez and Garret Anderson; first baseman Mark Teixeira; catchers Jason Varitek and Ivan Rodriguez; third baseman Joe Crede; and pitchers Derek Lowe and Oliver Perez.


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CEO says Jays won't go wild on free-agent market

TORONTO -- Paul Beeston believes the Blue Jays still have a shot at re-signing pitcher A.J. Burnett.

With the economy sinking, however, the team's interim CEO acknowledged Thursday that Toronto might choose to save the $24 million Burnett passed up this offseason rather than spend it on other free agents.

"It's a possibility," Beeston said. "We can spend $100 million, but if it doesn't make sense, why do it?"

Burnett recently opted out of the final two seasons of his five-year contract, deciding to test the free-agent market and forgo $24 million the Blue Jays would have owed him.

Speaking to the Toronto chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, Beeston said he and general manager J.P. Ricciardi visited Burnett at his Maryland home last month and came away convinced they had a chance at keeping the right-hander, who won a career-high 18 games this season.

The 31-year-old Burnett won 10 of his final 12 decisions and set a career-best with 231 strikeouts. He had a 4.07 ERA.

With the Canadian dollar dropping in value against the U.S. dollar and the global economy in turmoil, Beeston said the Blue Jays won't be big players in free agency.

So far, Beeston said Toronto's season-ticket sales are "consistent" with last year's numbers, but he acknowledged that sponsorship figures are down.

Beeston rejoined the Blue Jays on Oct. 14 to help find a replacement for outgoing president Paul Godfrey, who will leave the team at year's end.

Beeston said he has compiled a list of 35 to 40 candidates for the role of president and CEO. He'll spend the next few weeks cutting that list down before holding interviews, and he hopes to hire Godfrey's replacement before spring training 2009.


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Testimony papers in BALCO case ordered released

SAN FRANCISCO -- Thousands of pages of grand jury testimony related to the long-running steroids investigation of Barry Bonds and other athletes were unsealed Wednesday by a federal judge.

U.S. District Court Judge Susan Illston signed an order that allows prosecutors to share grand jury transcripts, medical lab reports and search warrant affidavits with Bonds' lawyers. It came in response to a request from the U.S. Attorney's office last week that the protective order on the documents be lifted to avoid possibly delaying Bonds' trial, scheduled to begin March 2.

Prosecutors also wanted to avoid "ambiguity" regarding their ability to disclose the documents to Bonds' attorneys. Prosecutors noted that much of the testimony had already been leaked to news media.

Lawyers for the former San Francisco Giants' outfielder could not be reached for comment.

Bonds, baseball's career home run leader, faces charges of making false statements and obstruction of justice for allegedly lying to a grand jury about whether he took performance-enhancing drugs. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

In August, Bonds' legal team asked for grand jury testimony of all witnesses involved in the probe, including current baseball players Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield, former football player Bill Romanowski and disgraced Olympian Marion Jones.

The documents, however, will not be made public, according to Jack Gillund, a spokesman for U.S. Attorney Joseph Russoniello. He said testimony from the secret grand jury proceedings will remain closely guarded.


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Phillies 2B Utley undergoes surgery on right hip

PHILADELPHIA -- Phillies second baseman Chase Utley has had arthroscopic hip surgery and is expected to need four to six months to recover.

Utley

The three-time All Star had surgery Monday to trim the labrum and a bony lesion in his right hip at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, team officials said Tuesday.

Despite feeling symptoms for much of the year, Utley hit .292 and led all second basemen with 33 home runs and 104 RBIs as the Phillies won the National League East for the second consecutive year. In the playoffs, he hit three home runs with nine RBIs the help the Phillies win their second World Series in team history and first since 1980.

Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said last week that he expected Utley to be ready at or shortly after the start of the 2009 regular season.

Spring training begins Feb. 14. Philadelphia's first regular-season game is April 5.


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Nats' Redding has surgery, will be ready in spring

WASHINGTON -- Nationals right-hander Tim Redding had surgery to repair a bone in a joint on his left foot Friday and is expected to be ready for the start of spring training.

Redding will need about six weeks to recover from the operation, the Nationals said.

He was 10-11 with a 4.95 ERA in 2008 for the Nationals, who went a majors-worst 59-102. He led the team in victories.


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Ex-major league coach Burgess dies of cancer

LAMBETH, Ontario -- Tom Burgess, who played briefly in the major leagues before serving as a coach under Joe Torre and Bobby Cox, has died. He was 81.

A member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, Burgess died Monday at his Lambeth home after a battle with cancer, Baseball Canada said.

Burgess spent most of his professional playing career in the minors but had two short stints in the big leagues as an outfielder and first baseman. He went 1-for-21 (.048) at the plate with the 1954 St. Louis Cardinals and didn't get back to the majors until eight years later, when he batted .196 with two homers and 13 RBIs for the 1962 Los Angeles Angels.

After his playing career ended, Burgess managed at many levels for St. Louis, Atlanta, the New York Mets, Texas and Detroit. He was third base coach for the Mets under Joe Frazier and Torre in 1977 and for Atlanta under Cox in 1978.

Burgess also coached and managed for Baseball Canada and Baseball Ontario.

"Tom could not give enough back to baseball," Tom Valcke, president of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, said in a phone interview Thursday. "He would teach anyone, anytime, everything he knew, as long as they wanted to learn and to work."

As well as the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, Burgess also is a member of the London, Ontario, sports Hall of Fame and the Rochester Red Wings Hall of Fame.


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Former Reds GM Krivsky joins Orioles front office

BALTIMORE -- Longtime front office executive Wayne Krivsky joined the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday as special assistant to the president of baseball operations.

Krivsky, a former vice president and general manger for the Cincinnati Reds, will work under club president Andy MacPhail. His responsibilities will include scouting, contracts and other baseball administration duties.

The 54-year-old Krivsky previously served for nearly 27 seasons as an assistant or special assistant to general managers with Texas, Minnesota and the Mets. He spent the 2008 season as special assistant to Mets GM Omar Minaya.


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Report: Charity disassociates itself with Clemens

Roger Clemens has been asked to end his involvement with a charity golf tournament he has hosted for four years as the fallout from the Mitchell report continues to haunt the seven-time Cy Young award winner, the New York Daily News reported in Wednesday's edition. Although Clemens helped raise millions of dollars for charities associated with the event, the Giff Nielsen Day of Golf for Kids was held Nov. 11 at Houston's Shadow Hawk Golf Club without him. "Roger Clemens is no longer affiliated with the tournament," said Nielsen, a Houston broadcaster. "We decided we would go our separate ways until his off-field stuff is settled. "I approached him, and as we talked, we reached a mutual agreement that we would put our relationship on hold. He was good about it. He said `I agree with the decision." Clemens has denied using performance-enhancing drugs since he was identified in former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell's report on drug use in baseball. He filed a defamation lawsuit in January against his former trainer, Brian McNamee, who claims he injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone. Federal prosecutors also are looking into whether Clemens committed perjury when he testified under oath in front of a congressional committee that he never used performance-enhancing drugs. "He is dealing with some tough issues," Nielsen said. "He is dealing with something that is very challenging. The accusations against him are serious. It just made sense to say, `Go take care of these issues and we will revisit the relationship later, when it makes sense.' He was very receptive. He was very understanding."


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Mitchell: Report may have caused less drug usage

NEW YORK -- Nearly one year later, George Mitchell wouldn't change a word of his report.

His investigation of drugs in baseball tarnished the reputation of Roger Clemens and dozens of other players, led to a toughened drug agreement and created an impression that clubhouses were teeming with performance-enhancers.

The Mitchell report •Mitchell delivers his report
•Read it (.pdf file)
•Players named
•Recommendations made

"The impression I get is that it's had a significant impact of reducing usage, although that still remains very difficult to measure with any complete precision," the former Senate Majority Leader said Tuesday during a half-hour interview in his midtown Manhattan office.

Mitchell's 409-page report implicated seven MVPs and 31 All-Stars -- one for every position. It identified 85 players to differing degrees, a list of baseball's famous that included Clemens, Eric Gagne, Gary Sheffield, Jason Giambi and Troy Glaus.

"Obviously as a human being, I regret and don't take pleasure in someone else's misfortune, whether I have any relationship to it or not," Mitchell said. "What we did was to try to meet the obligation which we'd undertaken, and we did so. Each player involved made his decision on how to respond."

Still, Mitchell doesn't think baseball's drug problem has been totally solved.

"I would be very doubtful that it is completely clean in the sense nobody is using," he said. "You don't know whether this is a temporary response because of the attention it's gotten and whether over time it will begin to resume an increase. I think that's unlikely given the aggressive nature of the response, but it's something you have to be continuously concerned about."

Mitchell's new evidence was based primarily on interviews with Kirk Radomski, the former New York Mets clubhouse attendant who pleaded guilty to illegally distributing steroids, and Brian McNamee, Clemens' former personal trainer. It also recited the government's case against Barry Bonds and collected various media reports.

Some players implicated bounced back with relatively little stigma, a group that included Rick Ankiel, Glaus and Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte. Some disappeared from the majors, such as Jay Gibbons, released by Baltimore during spring training.

Clemens was the report's biggest loser.

Headed to the Hall of Fame with 354 wins before the Mitchell report, his Cooperstown chances deteriorated when Mitchell made public McNamee's allegations that the seven-time Cy Young Award winner had used steroids and human growth hormone before they were banned. It led to a high-profile congressional hearing in February in which McNamee accused Clemens' wife, Debbie, of using HGH, and the Department of Justice was asked to investigate whether the pitcher lied when he denied McNamee's account.

In addition, Clemens sued McNamee for defamation, a case still in its early stages. In the fallout from the suit, the New York Daily News reported Clemens had a decade-long relationship with country star Mindy McCready that began when she was 15. Clemens denied having an affair with a 15-year-old but didn't specifically address whether he had a romance with McCready.

"Because the matter is the subject of both a civil lawsuit and a criminal investigation, I believe it's appropriate for me to not make any comment," said Mitchell, who wouldn't say whether he had spoken with federal investigators probing Clemens.

When he released the report Dec. 13, Mitchell recommended commissioner Bud Selig not discipline players and Selig gave amnesty to all players on April 11 in an agreement with the players' association to toughen drug rules for the third time since 2002. As part of the deal, 15-day suspensions assessed against Jose Guillen and Gibbons were eliminated.

"I think it's gone a long way toward turning the page on this issue and permitting baseball to move forward," Mitchell said.

All 20 of Mitchell's recommendations were adopted, including creating a department of investigations, which has a $2 million budget for next year, Mitchell said. The new unit, headed by Dan Mullin and George Hanna, launched probes relating to skimming of contract bonuses and gambling in addition to its drug responsibilities.

The sport's drug-testing program, which is separate, was budgeted for $4.7 million this year, MLB spokesman Rich Levin said.

Just three players were suspended this year under the major league program, all for 50 games: San Francisco catcher Eliezer Alfonzo, Colorado catcher Humberto Cota and Florida pitcher Henry Owens. Suspensions were far more prevalent under the minor league program, with 66 penalties, including 40 from the Dominican Summer League and 10 from the Venezuelan Summer League.

"My view on the numbers is really simple: We run the very best program we can possibly run, and the numbers turn out how the numbers turn out. I can't control the numbers," said Rob Manfred, MLB's executive vice president of labor relations. "I think the move to the independent program administrator with the authority that was invested in him was a huge improvement. That in my view was the biggest single change."

The administrator was to have released the first of his annual reports on the drug program by next Monday, but it likely won't be issued until January.

Mitchell said the timing of the review wasn't important, only that it's done annually.

"The most important thing is to create an attitude which reflects the awareness that this is a dynamic ongoing program," he said. "You can never reach the stage where you can say, we solved it, that's it. You may have solved this drug, but there's a lot of money involved and there are a lot of people who are seeking to make some of that money by creating new illegal drugs. And so you have to have a constant attention, constant focus, constant effort."

The players' association, which resisted Mitchell's probe, agrees with that analysis and agreed in April to accept his recommendations.

"Fundamentally, we thought we had a good program. All the evidence we had was that it was working extremely well for some substantial period of time before the Mitchell report came out," union head Donald Fehr said.

Now, Mitchell is waiting to see if more names will be implicated in the case of Dr. Ramon Scruggs and two alleged associates at the New Hope Health Center in Costa Mesa, Calif. A federal indictment unsealed in April charged that unidentified agents for baseball players steered clients to him.

"That's a dimension that did not arise during our investigation," Mitchell said. "It validates what I said. We didn't find out everything."


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Opening of Marlins' new ballpark delayed to 2012

MIAMI -- The Florida Marlins' new ballpark won't open until the 2012 season, a one-year delay because a recent court challenge slowed the start of construction.

Last Friday, a Miami-Dade circuit judge eliminated the final legal obstacle -- a lawsuit filed by auto dealer Norman Braman against several projects, including the 37,000-seat, retractable-roof stadium.

The Marlins, however, have yet to break ground at the site.

"The litigation pushed us back," team president David Samson said. "We met with the construction manager, and he told us the risk was not manageable to open in 2011. The cost of accelerating construction would be too high."

The Marlins still expect to meet the targeted cost of $515 million for the ballpark, Samson said. The franchise is responsible for overruns.

Since their first game in 1993, the Marlins have played at Dolphin Stadium, where their lease expires after the 2010 season. The Miami Dolphins and Miami Hurricanes play football there, and Samson said the Marlins have talked with representatives of both teams about remaining in the stadium in 2011.

"We're confident we can get an agreement to extend the lease one year," he said.

When Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria began making plans for a new ballpark, the target opening date was 2005. Samson said the franchise is disappointed about the latest delay.

"The litigation was a waste of taxpayer money," Samson said. "It was a frivolous lawsuit. It's an extra year, but it's OK."

The new ballpark will be located on the site of the now-demolished Orange Bowl near downtown. It's a major piece of a $3 billion public works package that includes a tunnel for the Port of Miami and a downtown trolley line.

The Marlins say the ballpark will ensure higher revenue, allowing the team to spend more on players. The delay to a 2012 opening means player payroll -- perennially one of the lowest in the major leagues -- will be slower to increase, Samson said.

"We're always going to match payroll to revenue," he said.


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NY pols seek Citi/Taxpayer Field name after bailout

NEW YORK -- Two New York City Council members say that Citigroup should show its thanks for a federal bailout by sharing the naming rights to the new Mets ballpark in Queens.

The struggling bank is slated to pay $400 million over the next 20 years to name the stadium Citi Field.

The bank made the commitment years ago, when it was flush with cash. Now that Citigroup is getting billions of dollars in federal aid, Staten Island Republicans Vincent Ignizio and James Oddo say the ballpark's name should be changed to Citi/Taxpayer Field.

Citigroup and Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon have been saying that they have no plan to alter the naming-rights deal for the ballpark, which hosts its regular-season opener April 13.

Wilpon and Citigroup spokesman Steve Silverman said they had no comment on the proposal.


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Officials drop charges against Roger Clemens' son

SALEM, Va. -- Disorderly conduct charges against Roger Clemens' son and another minor league teammate have been dropped nearly three months after a restaurant disturbance. Salem Commonwealth's Attorney Thomas E. Bowers said in a news release Friday that he dropped the charges against Koby Clemens and Mark Ori. An assault and battery charge against a third player, Jimmy Goethals, is set for a court hearing Dec. 2. A spokesman for Bowers said the prosecutor agreed to drop the case against Clemens and Ori after their attorneys said they would perform community service. The two athletes spoke to four student groups Thursday in the Salem area about alcohol, drugs and peer pressure. Clemens, Ori and Goethals played for the Salem Avalanche, a Houston Astros affiliate that was dissolved after its season ended in September. The three men were arrested Aug. 31 after police were called to the parking lot of a restaurant.


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Nationals right-hander Redding to have surgery

Redding

WASHINGTON -- Nationals right-hander Tim Redding will have minor surgery on his left foot on Friday and is expected to be fully recovered by the start of spring training.

The operation will repair damage to the bone in the joint at the base of the second toe. It will be performed by Nationals medical director Dr. Wiemi Douoguih and foot and ankle specialist Dr. Lew Schon at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore.

Redding went 10-11 with a 4.95 ERA in 33 starts this year. He was the only Nationals pitcher to win at least 10 games.


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Former All-Star Raines to manage Newark Bears

NEWARK, N.J. -- Former major league All-Star Tim Raines has signed a two-year contract to manage the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League.

"I'm thrilled at the opportunity to manage the Newark Bears in the greatest sports region in the country," Raines said. "Newark is rich in baseball tradition, with legends like Yogi Berra, Monte Irvin and Rickey Henderson once calling the city home."

Raines joins the Bears from the Class AA Harrisburg Senators, where he was a hitting coach last season. Previously, he was a coach for the Chicago White Sox from 2004 to 2006, serving as first base coach during their 2005 World Series championship season.

Raines began his coaching career in 2003 as manager of the Brevard County Manatees, a Class A affiliate of the Expos.

A seven-time All-Star, Raines was one of baseball's top leadoff hitters and base stealers while playing for six teams from 1979 to 2002.

The switch-hitting outfielder hit .294 with 170 home runs, 2,605 hits, 808 stolen bases and an on-base percentage of .385. He won a batting title, and led the league in stolen bases three times and runs scored twice.

The Bears were sold to the California-based Bases Loaded group for $100,000 last week. The group agreed to assume $1 million in liabilities from its owner, developer Marc Berson.

"Tim brings years of experience as a player and coach," said Jim Wankmiller, president and CEO of the Bases Loaded Group. "His extraordinary knowledge, talent and enthusiasm for the game will continue the team's success as we enter a new era of Newark Bears baseball."


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Judge removes hurdle in Marlins' ballpark proposal

MIAMI -- A key legal obstacle was removed Friday for a new downtown Florida Marlins stadium, and the team will now determine whether the ballpark can open for the 2011 season.

Marlins president David Samson said the months of delay caused by a lawsuit challenging the ballpark's financing package might push the completion date to 2012.

"We're evaluating the significance of that delay. I hope we will have an announcement here within a week," Samson said.

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Jeri Beth Cohen issued formal, final orders ending a lawsuit filed by auto dealer Norman Braman against the proposal for several huge projects, including a 37,000-seat, retractable-roof stadium. Estimated to cost $515 million, the ballpark is to rise on the site of the now-demolished Orange Bowl in Little Havana.

The legal fight may yet continue, but Braman will have to persuade an appeals court that Cohen was wrong to rule against him on all counts.

"It's likely that he's going to pursue an appeal," said Braman's lawyer, Paul Huck Jr.

The stadium is a major piece of a $3 billion public works package that includes a tunnel for the Port of Miami, a museums park and a downtown trolley line.

Braman, a philanthropist, art collector and former owner of the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles, argued the project financing was an unconstitutional diversion of money intended to cure urban blight and should have been submitted to voters for approval.

The Marlins have played at Dolphin Stadium -- home of the NFL's Miami Dolphins -- since their inception in 1993 but have pushed for years for a baseball-only home, threatening at times to move to another city if one wasn't built. The Marlins regularly rank last in attendance among 30 major league teams, averaging 16,688 this year, but won World Series titles in 1997 and 2003.

Cohen in September ruled that the stadium served a "paramount public purpose" and that there were no legal grounds to overturn decisions by local government officials to use taxpayer dollars to pay for it. The judge previously rejected several other Braman lawsuit claims, including an allegation that the project was hatched in secret in violation of Florida's open meetings law.

"We always knew the facts and the law made it impossible for Norman Braman to prevail," Samson said.

Miami Mayor Manny Diaz said work on construction contracts and other agreements has continued, but he doubted the original target to open the ballpark in 2011 would be reached.

"I think we can have groundbreaking sometime in the second quarter of next year," Diaz said. "No one has completely ruled out 2011, but it's going to be tough."


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Phillies, Rangers swap former first-round picks

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers swapped former first-round picks Thursday.

Texas acquired outfielder Greg Golson from the Phillies for outfielder John Mayberry.

Golson, who is from Texas, was the 21st overall pick by the Phillies in the 2004 draft. He spent last season at Double-A Reading, where he hit .282 with 13 homers and 60 RBIs in 106 games. He went 0-for-6 as a September call-up for the Phillies, his only major league action.

Mayberry, drafted 19th overall by the Rangers in 2005, hit .263 with 16 homers and 58 RBIs in 114 games for Triple-A Oklahoma City this year.


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Selig: MLB to ban shortened postseason games

NEW YORK -- There has never been a rain-shortened game in the postseason, and now there never will be.

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig announced the sport will enact a rules change stating that postseason games cannot be shortened because of bad weather.

"All postseason games, All-Star games and that, will be full-length affairs, and the rule will be so written," Selig said Thursday following an owners' meeting.

Selig said the change also will apply to tiebreaker games that decide division titles and wild-card berths.

"Any game that has significance for the postseason," he said. "It will be very clear now. Everybody will know exactly."

Under baseball's rules, games are official as soon as the trailing team has made 15 outs.

During World Series Game 5 between Tampa Bay and Philadelphia last month, Selig decided that it wouldn't be cut short because of pouring rain. Just after the Rays tied it in the top of the sixth, umpires halted play and the game was suspended for 46 hours.

Selig said that if the Phillies still led 2-1 when play was stopped, the game would have gone into a rain delay until it could resume -- even if that took several days.

"We'll stay here if we have to celebrate Thanksgiving here," he said.

Selig had former Federal Reserve board chairman Paul Volcker address owners. Volcker, chairman of the Federal Reserve board from August 1979-August 1987 and an adviser to President-elect Barack Obama, served on Selig's economic study committees from 1990-92 in 1999-2000.

Selig saw no need to substantiate what Volcker said.

"Me substantiating Volcker would be like you substantiating Grantland Rice," he told a reporter.

Selig wouldn't speculate on whether the economy would slow the potential purchase of the Chicago Cubs, who were put up for sale when Tribune Co. agreed in April 2007 to be acquired by Sam Zell. The next round of bids is due Dec. 1, and representatives of four groups have met with MLB officials in recent weeks.

"The process is in Sam Zell's hands," Selig said. "Time will tell. The bids will come in and then we will be able to make a judgment -- he'll be able to make the judgment."

There has been widespread speculation that the bidders will have trouble financing any deal given the lack of liquidity in the credit markets.

"I don't know what economic problems the bidders have or haven't had," Selig said. "And I don't know that the Tribune knows it, either, frankly."

At the meeting, owners unanimously approved 39-year-old Hal Steinbrenner as controlling owner of the New York Yankees, ending the 35-year reign of George Steinbrenner, who is 78 and in declining health.


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Matsuzaka says he'll play in World Baseball Classic

TOKYO -- Boston Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka is ready to help Japan defend its title at the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

Matsuzaka

Matsuzaka, the MVP of the 2006 tournament, said Thursday he will start preparing for the WBC in December.

"I'll accept the offer if I'm asked to play," Matsuzaka said. "I'll pick up the pace of my training in December so that I won't have to scramble at the last minute."

The right-hander went 3-0 in the 2006 WBC with a 1.38 ERA. One of his wins came in the final against Cuba.

Matsuzaka said he was pleased with his second season for Boston, where he went 18-3.

"I won 18 games, but in the United States people severely look at the way you perform," he said. "I had a fulfilling season, though, with both good and bad experiences."

Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners has also said he expects to play in the 16-nation tournament, which starts March 5 in Tokyo.

Yomiuri Giants manager Tatsunori Hara will guide Japan's team.


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Two top Cuban players likely to miss 2009 WBC

HAVANA -- Ace pitcher Yadel Marti and star outfielder Yasser Gomez have been thrown off Cuba's top league team for "a grave act of indiscipline," likely ending their hopes of playing in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

The one-sentence announcement Friday in the Communist Party newspaper Granma offered no details on why Marti, picked to the all-tournament team at the 2006 WBC, and Gomez, a former Olympian, were released from Havana's Industriales.

Two people close to the team said the action came after the pair was caught trying to defect to the United States. The two people spoke on condition of anonymity and did not elaborate, fearing it could lead to problems with the Industriales.

Marti was 1-0 with two saves and a 0.00 ERA in 12 2/3 innings during four games in the inaugural WBC, when Cuba finished second to Japan.

The right-hander joined Daisuke Matsuzaka and Chan Ho Park as the all-WBC pitchers. Marti and his teammates were welcomed home as heroes after the event, climbing aboard a convoy of green military jeeps and parading through Havana's streets.

Marti talked publicly about how Cuba would seek revenge during the 2009 WBC and he was expected to again be one of the national team's stars in the tournament this spring. But Friday's announcement virtually guarantees neither he nor Gomez will play baseball for Cuba again in any capacity.

The 29-year-old Marti began his career with the island's top baseball league in 1999 with the Metropolitanos of Havana, the capital's second-tier squad. He was a short, thin prospect who scouts thought did not have the physical stature to become a star, but his excellent control and craftiness on the mound helped him win a spot on the Industriales in 2002.

The 28-year-old Gomez is a left-hander who batted third slot in the Industriales' lineup and hit .394 in 2007. He began playing in Cuba's top league as a teenager and was part of the Olympic team at the Sydney Games in 2000, which took the silver medal. He was left off Cuba's 2006 WBC squad.

Both Gomez and Marti failed to secure spots on the Cuban team that finished second at the Olympic Games in Beijing, absences that surprised many in baseball circles.

Gomez had lived in a Havana apartment building adjacent to the aging stadium where the Industriales play. The building is full of players and their families and painted in the colors of Industriales, blue and white, with a script "I" logo. He moved to a new apartment in the capital's Vedado district sometime ago, however.

Marti has a home in another part of the city, but did not answer his home or cellular phones Friday. The Industriales refused to comment.

Like many elite Cuban athletes, baseball players draw small salaries and often travel by bus, but have some perks the general population does not, including the use of a state-owned car or the right to purchase their own vehicle. The government does not consider its baseball players professionals, but the island's National Baseball League is far and away the most-followed in this baseball-mad country.

The Industriales are the class of the league and the closest thing Cuba has to the New York Yankees. The team wears pinstripes, has first choice of the top baseball talent born in and around Havana and vies with Santiago, the island's second-largest city, for the largest and most-devoted fan base.

It was the team of Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, who was the most famous player on Industriales and in Cuba when he defected to the United States, eventually winning a World Series with the Yankees in 1998.

Livan Hernandez, the 1997 World Series MVP for the Florida Marlins, was also a star of the team before fleeing the island. Rey Ordonez was an Industriales backup shortstop before becoming a three-time Gold Glover with the New York Mets.


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Mariners' new manager Wakamatsu is historic hire

SEATTLE -- Don Wakamatsu is proud to be the first Asian-American manager in major league history. He's also keenly aware of what his grandparents endured, generations before he took over the Seattle Mariners.

During World War II, the United States government moved his Japanese ancestors across the country from one internment camp to another. Wakamatsu's father, an iron worker, was born in one.

"I'm proud to represent some of what they went through in their lifetime," Wakamatsu said. "If I can set a future stepping stone for Japanese-Americans and just the equality in baseball, I'm glad to bear that torch."

A fourth-generation Japanese-American, the former Oakland bench coach was introduced Wednesday as the new manager of the Mariners.

The team has close ties to Japan, from Hiroshi Yamauchi, its titular head and Japanese billionaire, through All-Star outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, the franchise cornerstone.

James Wakamatsu, 93, and 91-year-old wife Ruth were hardworking, modest-living fruit growers in Oregon's Willamette Valley before the U.S. rounded up Japanese living in this country during the war.

The elder Wakamatsus were first sent to live in an internment camp set up in the infield of a horse racing track in Portland. Then they were moved to Tule Lake, Calif., to Jerome, Ark., and to the Chicago area.

When the war ended, they resettled in Hood River, Ore. Wakamatsu's parents were there, too -- his mother is Irish-American -- and he was born there.

"When they got out, they were offered the barracks to buy. They ended up shipping it to Hood River, Ore.," he said of his grandparents. "As a child, I had no idea I was living in the barracks they were interned in. It blew me away."

James and Ruth still live in that former part of an internment barracks in Hood River. They were thrilled when their grandson beat out six other candidates to become a major league manager for the first time.

"They are proud of me," Wakamatsu said, smiling.

Wakamatsu's wife, Laura, sat a few feet to his left during a news conference. She and their three children are proud of him, too. Just after being introduced, Wakamatsu held up a sign 10-year-old daughter Jadyn made to celebrate Dad's big day.

"KNOCK 'EM DEAD! From: Sis," the sign read in blue and red crayon.

"This might be our theme for the year," Wakamatsu said.

"I told him, 'It better be,'" Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said, chuckling.

This 45-year-old relative unknown spent five years as a bench coach and third-base coach in Texas, then one year as bench coach for the A's before Seattle called. He has never managed above Double-A.

His task: Reverse the culture and performance of a team that last season became the first to lose 100 games with a $100 million payroll.

"This is the crown jewel of what we've tried to do," Zduriencik said, pointing to Wakamatsu and referring to his overall remake of the Mariners' scouting and player-evaluation departments in the last month.

[+] Enlarge

AP Photo/Elaine Thompson

New Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu, right, looks over his new jersey with general manager Jack Zduriencik at a news conference on Wednesday.

Wakamatsu will be Seattle's fifth manager since the departure of Lou Piniella following the 2002 season. The Mariners have tried Bob Melvin, Mike Hargrove, John McLaren and Jim Riggleman since then.

Wakamatsu and the six other candidates all interviewed last week and all had zero experience as a manager in the major leagues. The overwhelming fan favorite was former Seattle second baseman and current Chicago White Sox bench coach Joey Cora.

Zduriencik said Wakamatsu got the job because he was a former catcher at Arizona State -- where he played with Barry Bonds -- and in the minors from 1985-96. That last season was as a player-coach for Double-A Port City in the Mariners' system. He was a teammate for 19 games there with Raul Ibanez, Seattle's top RBI producer who is now a free agent deciding whether to stay or leave.

The GM likes the catcher's perspective of constantly considering the totality of games. He noted the Angels' Mike Scioscia as one example of a successful manager who was a catcher.

Zduriencik also liked Wakamatsu's ties to the Northwest. Wakamatsu also lived for two years in suburban Bremerton, Wash., as a grade schooler while his father built one of Seattle's tallest buildings.

And the GM loved that Wakamatsu has spent his major league coaching life in the AL West, which Seattle hasn't won since its last playoff appearance in 2001. Wakamatsu was a minor league catching coordinator for the Anaheim Angels in 2001-02 before going to Texas.

Wakamatsu was raised in Hayward, Calif., after moving out of that house which had been an internment barracks. He knows only a little Japanese, though it has improved lately with his daughter helping him with Berlitz courses. He hopes to learn the language better to relate closely with Suzuki and to improve Mariners catcher Kenji Johjima, who struggled so much last season he was benched months after signing a $24 million, three-year contract extension.

Asked what expectations should be in Seattle after last season ended as the Mariners' worst since 1983, Wakamatsu said: "I'm not going to sit up here [and] promise the moon. Obviously, someone promised the moon last year and it didn't work out.

"I think there's talent. I think there's youth ... I think there's starting pitching that's pretty deep, a pretty good closer.

"Just with osmosis, we ought to be better than we were last year."


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A's owner suggests one-game playoff in first round

NEW YORK -- Lew Wolff has a way to shorten baseball's postseason: Make the first round best-of-one.

"I'd make it one-game-and-you're-out for the first series," the Oakland Athletics owner said Wednesday. "It would be exciting. It would be great."

Begun in 1995, the division series has been a best-of-five competition. Some people have advocated it be expanded to best-of-seven, matching the league championship series and the World Series. Baseball commissioner Bud Selig has repeatedly said he favors the current format.

Wolff said he hasn't brought up his concept with Selig.

"No, I'm afraid to do that," he said.

Under the current format, Game 7 of the World Series wouldn't be until Nov. 5 next year. Selig said during this year's World Series that the postseason has too many off days, but shortening it appears to be impossible if Major League Baseball sticks to having the World Series start on a Wednesday, a schedule that began in 2007.

"I've always thought a one-game wild card [playoff] would be a pretty good idea," said Bob DuPuy, MLB's chief operating officer. "Lew is an imaginative fellow and has a lot of good ideas."

On other matters, Wolff said he's inclined to keep newly acquired outfielder Matt Holliday for the entire season, even if he becomes a free agent next November and leaves the A's.

"I'd rather take the two draft choices than lose him in the middle of the season," Wolff said.

Holliday, obtained from Colorado, is represented by Scott Boras, who advocates that clients not sign contracts before filing for free agency.

Wolff said that in preparing for an amateur draft, he noticed that certain prospective picks were on "one board with different colored cards."

"What is that?" he asked his baseball operations employees.

The answer, he said, was: "Scott Boras clients."


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Cardinals' Pujols wins second NL MVP award

NEW YORK -- Albert Pujols views MVP voting a little differently these days.

"You have to consider everything. You have to put all the numbers together," the St. Louis Cardinals star said Monday after powering past Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard to win the award for the second time.

Pujols won despite the Cardinals finishing in fourth place, the lowest spot for an NL MVP winner since Andre Dawson and Chicago Cubs wound up sixth in 1987. Howard led the majors in home runs and RBIs for the World Series champs.

The result will surely renew a debate that Pujols once raised himself: What qualifies as "most valuable"?

In 2006, a month after leading the Cardinals to the World Series crown, Pujols carped when Howard -- whose Phillies missed the playoffs -- captured the coveted award.

"I see it this way: Someone who doesn't take his team to the playoffs doesn't deserve to win the MVP," Pujols said at that time.

Shortly thereafter, Pujols clarified his remarks and said Howard was certainly worthy of the award.

"I think the writers made the right choice in 2006," Pujols reiterated Monday. "He did deserve it."

Just as Pujols believed he earned it this year.

"I wasn't surprised at all," he said.

Pujols hit .357 with 37 home runs and 116 RBIs while playing with a sore right elbow that required surgery. Howard hit 48 homers with 146 RBIs for the Phillies.

Voting was completed before the playoffs began.

"I'm happy I didn't have to make that decision," Pujols said on a conference call from his St. Louis home. "What you do for your team. The players who take their teams to the playoffs should have some consideration."

NL MVP voting

Albert Pujols was named the 2008 NL MVP, the second time he has won the award.

Player1st2nd3rdTotalPujols, Cardinals18102369Ryan Howard,
Phillies1286308Ryan Braun, Brewers--23139Others receiving votes: Manny Ramirez, Dodgers, 138; Lance Berkman, Astros, 126; CC Sabathia, Brewers, 121; David Wright, Mets, 115; Brad Lidge, Phillies, 104; Carlos Delgado, Mets, 96; Aramis Ramirez, Cubs, 66; Hanley Ramirez, Marlins, 55; Chipper Jones, Braves, 44; Geovanny Soto, Cubs 41; Johan Santana, Mets, 30; Chase Utley, Phillies, 30; Ryan Ludwick, Cardinals 17; Brandon Webb, Diamondbacks, 14; Adrian Gonzalez, Padres, 13; Matt Holliday, Rockies, 13; Prince Fielder, Brewers, 11; Derrek Lee, Cubs, 10; Carlos Beltran, Mets, 10; Tim Lincecum, Giants, 9; Jose Reyes, Mets, 3; Jose Valverde, Astros, 3; Stephen Drew, Diamondbacks 2; Nate McClouth, Pirates, 1.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez and Milwaukee Brewers pitcher CC Sabathia, who both led postseason pushes after being traded by AL teams in July, also drew strong support.

Pujols got 18 of the 32 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America and had 369 points. Howard drew 12 first-place votes and 308 points.

Pujols added to the MVP award he won in 2005 and was the only player listed on every ballot. The All-Star first baseman became the 25th multiple MVP winner in either league.

Milwaukee outfielder Ryan Braun was third with 139 points, with Ramirez fourth at 138. The Houston Astros' Lance Berkman was fifth and Sabathia sixth.

Brad Lidge, perfect on 41 save chances for the Phillies during the regular season, drew the other two first-place votes and came in eighth.

Pujols was remarkably consistent all year -- a trait he's demonstrated throughout his career. He is the only big leaguer to hit at least 30 home runs in his first eight seasons in the majors and has finished in the top 10 of the NL MVP voting each year.

Pujols led the league in slugging percentage and intentional walks. He drew 104 walks while striking out only 54 times and was second in the NL with a .462 on-base percentage.

Almost single-handedly, when the Cardinals' rotation was depleted by injuries, he kept St. Louis in contention while batting .398 in the month of August. The Cardinals finished 86-76, 11½ games behind the Central champion Cubs.

In mid-October, Pujols had surgery for nerve irritation in his right elbow, an ailment that caused numbness, tingling in his ring finger and pinkie, a weak grip and pain inside his forearm. He hopes to resume weight training after Thanksgiving and is expected to be ready for spring training.

"I had some pain," he said. "The worst part was the last two months."

Pujols said there was still a slight chance he might need Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery.

"I'm crossing my fingers," he said.

Howard was hitting under .200 toward the end of May. His slow starts have cost him -- this year, he was the first player since the Cincinnati Reds' Hank Sauer in 1948 to be left off the All-Star team despite leading his league in homers and RBIs at the break.

Howard's best month came in September, when he set a team record with 32 RBIs and helped the Phillies rally to the NL East title. He hit .251 overall.

Ramirez had 138 points. He hit .396 with 17 home runs and 53 RBIs after the Dodgers got him from the Boston Red Sox on July 31 and led Los Angeles' push to the NL West title.

Sabathia got 121 points. He was 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA after Milwaukee acquired him from the Cleveland Indians on July 6 and helped the Brewers win the wild-card spot.

Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins, who won the NL MVP last season, did not receive a single vote this year.

Pujols earned a $200,000 bonus for winning the award. Ramirez got $75,000 and Braun got $50,000.

The AL MVP will be announced Tuesday. A close vote is anticipated, with the Minnesota Twins' Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau among the top contenders along with Boston's Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis.


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MLB sets Dec. 1 deadline for bids to buy Cubs

NEW YORK -- Bidders for the Chicago Cubs have until Dec. 1 to submit offers, Major League Baseball said Wednesday after a meeting of its ownership committee.

Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer, said representatives of four bidders have met in New York in recent weeks with officials from the commissioner's office, MLB's Internet company and the sport's new television network.

The team was put up for sale in April 2007 when Tribune Co., the Cubs' owner, announced it was being acquired by real estate developer Sam Zell. DuPuy said the latest deadline was set by the Tribune Co.

"Bids are expected the week after Thanksgiving," DuPuy said. "Mr. Zell claims the team is for sale and they're moving forward."

The Tribune Co. declined comment, spokesman Gary Weitman said.

Given the current financial climate and the difficulty in raising capital, there has been widespread speculation that bidders are having trouble raising money for a purchase of the famously unsuccessful franchise, which hasn't won the World Series in a century.

Baseball officials do not think Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has been part of the bidding process for months. Cuban was charged Monday by federal regulators with insider trading for allegedly using confidential information on a stock sale.

In other actions:

-- MLB said it had ceased efforts to locate the MLB Network in Harlem and would keep the offices and studios are their temporary location in Secaucus, N.J.

-- The sport adopted a budget with no increase for 2009, deferring unspecified projects because of the deteriorating economy.

-- Discussions took place to formalize in the rules commissioner Bud Selig's decision that postseason games cannot be shortened due to weather.

MLB took in a record $6.5 billion this year, but DuPuy said the economy had caused baseball to be cautious in its spending.

"No one wants to count any dollars before they actually come across the transom," he said.

Of specific concern has been the Nov. 10 announcement by Deutsche Post AG, the German parent of DHL, that it will no longer offer U.S. domestic-only air and ground services as of Jan. 30. DHL sponsors MLB awards for relief pitchers, and the company has agreements with some individual teams.

"We've had very positive conversations. They're staying in business obviously, they're just shifting their emphasis internationally," DuPuy said. "But obviously in this market we're talking to all of our sponsors to make sure that we give them as much value as possible for their sponsorship dollars and try to keep them all in place."

As for the network, a $435 million project with Vornado Realty Trust was announced in January to construct a 21-story office building in Harlem at Park Ave. and 125th St. Instead, baseball has decided to remain at the former MSNBC studios in Secaucus.

"The Harlem project ran into difficulty getting financing, developer financing," DuPuy said. "There's no activity on the Harlem project. At the moment, we're very satisfied with the Secaucus facility. It's a terrific facility and will serve our needs very well."

Staffing at the network had doubled to about 120 over the past month, ahead of its January launch, and there will be about 155 employees when hiring is completed. Auditions are taking place this week for studio staff and next week for reporters. While the network originally contemplated broadcasting Saturday night games, DuPuy said discussions are ongoing to shift those to Thursday evenings.

DuPuy said talks also were underway on the issue of not shortening postseason games. Selig decided last month that Game 5 of the World Series wouldn't be cut short by rain. While the game was suspended with the score tied after 5½ innings, Selig said if one team had been ahead when play was stopped, he would have presided over the longest rain delay in baseball history until weather allowed action to resume.

"The commissioner has indicated his intention of getting that done," DuPuy said. "There are various approaches that could be taken, and we're still working on the process."

Approval of the players' association might be necessary.

DuPuy also said:

-- MLB officials discussed last week's presentation to the International Olympic Committee. The sport hopes to regain Olympic status for 2016.

-- Talks were continuing over clubs' local television territories.

-- Wendy Lewis had been promoted to senior vice president from vice president of strategic planning, recruitment and diversity.


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Price of success: Rays to raise ticket prices for '09

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- It will cost more to see the Tampa Bay Rays next year.

Coming off their first winning season, the AL champion Rays announced Monday that single-game tickets will rise anywhere from $1 to $5, depending on location at Tropicana Field, where prices range from $10 to $210 for most home dates in 2009.

Prices range from $16 to $270 for 21 dates designated as "prime" games, including the home opener against the New York Yankees and three games in June against the Philadelphia Phillies, who defeated Tampa Bay in the World Series.

The Rays, who had never won more than 70 games in a season before winning 97 and making the playoffs for the first time this year, also are introducing what the team is calling "marquee" games -- 11 Saturday dates that will include a postgame concert or "premium" giveaway promotion. The price range for those games is $13 to $240.


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Red Sox second baseman Pedroia wins AL MVP

NEW YORK -- Dustin Pedroia could easily be mistaken for a mechanic, carpenter or plumber, most anything except a major leaguer.

"I'm not the biggest guy in the world. I don't have that many tools," he said. "If you saw me walking down the street, you wouldn't think I'm a baseball player."

Well, not unless he was carrying his AL MVP award.

Pedroia added to his ever-expanding trophy case Tuesday, becoming the first second baseman to earn the honor in nearly a half-century.

The Boston little man with the meaty swing easily beat out Minnesota slugger Justin Morneau, Red Sox teammate Kevin Youkilis and record-setting Los Angeles Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez in a scattered ballot that saw five different players draw first place-votes.

Generously listed at 5-foot-9, Pedroia has quickly piled up a huge stack of hardware. Earlier this month, he won the Gold Glove. He was the 2007 AL Rookie of the Year and capped off that season with a World Series ring.

"I had to overcome a lot of things to prove people wrong, and so far I've done that," he said on a conference call from his home in Arizona. "I have to find a way to have that edge."

Pedroia drew 16 of the 28 first-place votes cast by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America and finished with 317 points. He was even left off one ballot, while Morneau and Youkilis were listed on every one.

AL MVP voting

Dustin Pedroia was named the 2008 AL MVP, becoming the first second baseman in the Junior Circuit to win the award since Nellie Fox in 1959.

Player1st2nd3rdTotalPedroia, Red Sox1664317Justin Morneau,
Twins776257Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox244201Others receiving votes: Joe Mauer, Twins, 188; Carlos Quentin, White Sox, 160; Francisco Rodriguez, Angels, 143; Josh Hamilton, Rangers, 112; Alex Rodriguez, Yankees, 45; Carlos Pena, Rays, 44; Grady Sizemore, Indians, 42; Evan Longoria, Rays, 38; Cliff Lee, Indians, 24; Miguel Cabrera, Tigers, 17; Vladimir Guerrero, Angels, 16; Jermaine Dye, White Sox, 14; Aubrey Huff, Orioles, 12; Milton Bradley, Rangers, 9; Jason Bartlett, Rays, 6; Mike Mussina, Yankees, 3; Raul Ibanez, Mariners, 1; Ian Kinsler, Rangers, 1; Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners, 1; Mark Teixeira, Angels, 1.

"You look around the league, there are a ton of great players," Pedroia said.

Pedroia led the AL in hits, runs and doubles in helping the Red Sox win the wild-card berth. He batted .326 with 17 home runs and 83 RBIs and also stole 20 bases.

Pedroia became a fan favorite at Fenway Park with his scrappy approach. In a lineup depleted by injuries to David Ortiz, Mike Lowell and J.D. Drew and the midseason trade of Manny Ramirez, Pedroia took his hearty hacks wherever needed -- while he usually batted second, he also hit leadoff and cleanup.

"He's such a good player," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "When the game's on the line, he's a better player."

An improved one, too, from his rookie year.

"I thought his whole game got better. I think he got more dangerous at the plate," Francona said. "He never gives away an at-bat."

Nellie Fox was the previous second baseman to become AL MVP, in 1959 with the Chicago White Sox. No position has produced fewer MVPs overall -- just 10 overall since the AL and NL awards were first presented in 1931.

Pedroia was the fourth second baseman to win the AL MVP award, along with Fox, Joe Gordon (1942) and Charlie Gehringer (1937). Six second basemen have won the NL honor, with Jeff Kent, Ryne Sandberg and Joe Morgan doing it most recently.

Pedroia and his wife originally planned to leave early this week for a vacation in Mexico. But with the MVP vote looming, a Red Sox official suggested he delay the trip by a day or two, just in case.

"I really didn't know what to expect," Pedroia said. "I wasn't nervous or overly excited."

Pedroia certainly didn't plan on this. He made just $457,000 last season and didn't have an MVP bonus provision in his contract.

Pedroia was driving to his daily workout when he got the phone call telling him he'd won. Right away, the calls and text messages from teammates began pouring in.

"It's unbelievable," he said.

Pedroia became the 10th Red Sox player to take the award and first since Mo Vaughn in 1995. He is also just the third player to become MVP the season after earning the rookie of the year award, joining Cal Ripken Jr. and Ryan Howard.

Players who have won
both rookie of year
and MVP awardsPlayerROYMVPDustin Pedroia'07'08Ryan Howard'05'06Ichiro Suzuki'01'01Albert Pujols'01'05, '08Jeff Bagwell'91'94Jose Canseco'82'88Cal Ripken, Jr.'82'83Andre Dawson'77'87Fred Lynn'75'75Thurman Munson'70'76Johnny Bench'68'70, '72Rod Carew'67'76Richie Allen'64'72Pete Rose'63'73Willie McCovey'59'69Orlando Cepeda'58'67Frank Robinson'56'61, '66Willie Mays'51'54, '65Don Newcombe'49'56Jackie Robinson'47'49

Morneau got seven first-place votes and had 257 points, and Youkilis and Twins catcher Joe Mauer each got a pair of first-place votes. Rodriguez drew the other first-place nod and came in sixth.

Morneau, the 2006 AL MVP winner, hit .300 with 23 home runs and 129 RBIs in helping the Twins reach a one-game playoff for the AL Central, which they lost to Chicago.

Youkilis (.312, 29, 115) was third with 201 points and Mauer (.328, 9, 85) was next with 188 points.

White Sox star Carlos Quentin, who was leading the AL with 36 home runs when he broke his right wrist in an act of frustration, was fifth with 160 points. Rodriguez, who went 62-for-69 in save chances and recently filed for free agency, drew 143 points.

Texas Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton, who made a remarkable recovery from drug addiction to resume his career, was seventh and followed by last year's winner, New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez.

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Carlos Pena came in ninth, the top vote-getter from the AL champions. The Rays beat Boston in Game 7 of the ALCS.

Morneau earned $75,000 for his MVP finish and Mauer, Youkilis and Pena got $25,000 each.

The AL MVP was the last of the major BBWAA awards presented this year. Albert Pujols won the NL MVP award Monday and last week Cliff Lee and Tim Lincecum won Cy Youngs, Joe Maddon and Lou Piniella were picked as managers of the year and Evan Longoria and Geovany Soto were the top rookies.


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LeBron positive his Yankees will sign Sabathia

CLEVELAND -- LeBron James is convinced CC Sabathia will end up in pinstripes.

The Cleveland Cavaliers superstar and New York Yankees fan wants his favorite baseball team to land Sabathia, the top starting pitcher in this year's free-agent class.

The Yankees have formulated a proposal to Sabathia that would exceed Johan Santana's $137.5 million, six-year contract with the New York Mets both in total and average.

Asked before Cleveland's game against Utah on Saturday night if he thought the Yankees would win the Sabathia sweepstakes, James smiled and said, "We're gonna get him. Absolutely."

Sabathia went a combined 17-10 for Cleveland and Milwaukee this season after winning the 2007 AL Cy Young Award.

James' attachment to the Yankees has been a controversial subject in Cleveland, a city where baseball's most storied franchise is very unpopular. James was criticized for attending an Indians-Yankees playoff game in Cleveland wearing a Yankees cap during the 2007 postseason.

James, who is under contract for two more seasons, could be facing a decision similar to Sabathia's. The Cavaliers can offer him an extension as early as July 1, 2009. There has long been speculation James will eventually end up in one of the NBA's larger markets. It's been speculated the New York Knicks and the New Jersey Nets will be among the teams that will make a strong bid to sign James if he hits the market.

James, who grew up in Akron, has deflected talk about his possible free agency and has said repeatedly his goal is to bring Cleveland a championship.


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LeBron positive his Yankees will sign Sabathia

CLEVELAND -- LeBron James is convinced CC Sabathia will end up in pinstripes.

The Cleveland Cavaliers superstar and New York Yankees fan wants his favorite baseball team to land Sabathia, the top starting pitcher in this year's free-agent class.

The Yankees have formulated a proposal to Sabathia that would exceed Johan Santana's $137.5 million, six-year contract with the New York Mets both in total and average.

Asked before Cleveland's game against Utah on Saturday night if he thought the Yankees would win the Sabathia sweepstakes, James smiled and said, "We're gonna get him. Absolutely."

Sabathia went a combined 17-10 for Cleveland and Milwaukee this season after winning the 2007 AL Cy Young Award.

James' attachment to the Yankees has been a controversial subject in Cleveland, a city where baseball's most storied franchise is very unpopular. James was criticized for attending an Indians-Yankees playoff game in Cleveland wearing a Yankees cap during the 2007 postseason.

James, who is under contract for two more seasons, could be facing a decision similar to Sabathia's. The Cavaliers can offer him an extension as early as July 1, 2009. There has long been speculation James will eventually end up in one of the NBA's larger markets. It's been speculated the New York Knicks and the New Jersey Nets will be among the teams that will make a strong bid to sign James if he hits the market.

James, who grew up in Akron, has deflected talk about his possible free agency and has said repeatedly his goal is to bring Cleveland a championship.


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Padres' Kouzmanoff undergoes shoulder surgery

SAN DIEGO -- Padres third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff had arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder and is expected to be ready by the start of spring training.

The surgery was performed Saturday by Dr. Heinz Hoenecke and Dr. Jan Fronek at Scripps Green Hospital. The team didn't make an announcement until Monday.

"We are pleased with the results and expect Kevin to be at full speed when spring training begins in February," general manager Kevin Towers said in a statement.

Kouzmanoff batted .260 with 23 home runs and 84 RBIs this season, when San Diego lost 99 games and finished last in the NL West.


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Padres' Kouzmanoff undergoes shoulder surgery

SAN DIEGO -- Padres third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff had arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder and is expected to be ready by the start of spring training.

The surgery was performed Saturday by Dr. Heinz Hoenecke and Dr. Jan Fronek at Scripps Green Hospital. The team didn't make an announcement until Monday.

"We are pleased with the results and expect Kevin to be at full speed when spring training begins in February," general manager Kevin Towers said in a statement.

Kouzmanoff batted .260 with 23 home runs and 84 RBIs this season, when San Diego lost 99 games and finished last in the NL West.


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Brewers GM: Yankees 'overbidding' for Sabathia

The New York Yankees' initial bid for CC Sabathia reportedly is in a different stratosphere than the Brewers' first offer, and Milwaukee general manager Doug Melvin said he doesn't really understand the logic behind it.

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According to media reports, the Yankees offered Sabathia approximately $140 million over six years. The Brewers, in contrast, have reportedly offered Sabathia $100 million over five seasons.

"It sounds like they're overbidding," Melvin told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "If the speculation is true that we've offered CC $100 million, why would you offer $140 million? Why wouldn't you offer $110 million?"

Are the Brewers willing to compete with the Yankees' reported record offer?

"I don't want to respond to that," Melvin told the Journal Sentinel. "It's up to the player to go where the money is."

CC Sabathia

Starting Pitcher
Milwaukee Brewers

Profile

2008 Season StatsGMWLBBKERA351710592512.70

Yankees co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner confirmed Friday night at the team's spring training complex in Tampa, Fla., that an offer was made to Sabathia, and that proposals will be forthcoming for pitchers A.J. Burnett and Derek Lowe.

"[The Yankees] have been pretty adamant about bidding on everybody. That doesn't mean that's what the market is. That's just one team's offer. Until all the bids are on the table, I don't know what the market is," Melvin told the newspaper.

Melvin told the Journal Sentinel that he will check with Sabathia's camp by the middle of this week to see if the Brewers still have a chance to retain their ace, who was acquired at the trading deadline from the Cleveland Indians and helped Milwaukee win the NL wild card.

"I'll ask them where we're at [in the bidding], if we have a chance or should we move on," Melvin told the newspaper. "I need to know. We don't want this to drag on.

"They won't tell me what the other offers are. They'll just say, 'We've got an extra year [from another bidder] or more money.' They'll let you know if the other offers are substantially more or a little more.

"We're not going to negotiate until we know where we stand," Melvin told the newspaper.

The New York Mets' Johan Santana has the highest contract ever given to a pitcher, the six-year, $137.5 million deal he signed after his trade from the Minnesota Twins last offseason.

Cliff Lee the overwhelming choice for AL Cy Young

NEW YORK -- Cliff Lee went from the minor leagues to the pinnacle of pitching in one fantastic year. Now, he's eager to repeat his award-winning performance.

Lee took the American League Cy Young Award in a runaway Thursday, capping a dominant comeback season that made him the second consecutive Cleveland Indians lefty to earn the coveted prize.

"It feels a lot better than it felt in '07," Lee said on a conference call from his Arkansas home. "I want to win this Cy Young again. I want to make a habit of it."

Demoted to the minors last year, Lee went a major league-best 22-3 this season with a 2.54 ERA. He received 24 of 28 first-place votes and 132 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay was a distant runner-up with four first-place votes and 71 points. Record-setting closer Francisco Rodriguez of the Los Angeles Angels finished third with 32 points.

Lee became the third Cleveland pitcher to win a Cy Young, following Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry in 1972 and CC Sabathia last year.

"We are pretty close friends, and there's a lot of things I picked up from him and I'd like to think there's a few things he picked up from me," Lee said. "I've tried to help him out in situations and he's tried to do the same for me. Apparently it's worked. We've turned into pretty good pitchers."

Trudging through a disappointing season and cognizant of budget constraints, the injury-depleted Indians traded Sabathia to Milwaukee on July 7. He is expected to fetch a huge contract this offseason after filing for free agency.

AL Cy Young Award voting

Indians ace Cliff Lee was named the 2008 AL Cy Young winner, becoming the second straight Cleveland pitcher to be honored. CC Sabathia, who was traded to the Brewers during the season, earned the Cy Young Award in 2007. Player1st2nd3rdTotalLee, Indians244--132Roy Halladay,
Blue Jays415671Francisco Rodriguez, Angels--71132Others receiving votes: Daisuke Matsuzaka, Red Sox, 10; Mariano Rivera, Yankees, 3; Mike Mussina, Yankees, 2; Ervin Santana, Angels, 2.

"I definitely miss him being around on the team. He's someone that I leaned on," Lee said. "I saw how he did it in '07 and I watched everything he did. I knew what it took because I'd seen it. It definitely was a benefit to watch it right in front of me."

An 18-game winner in 2005, Lee was hurt in spring training last year and struggled so badly he was sent to the minors. He returned to the big leagues and finished 5-8 with a 6.29 ERA before being left off Cleveland's postseason roster.

"I was kind of pushed to the side," Lee said. "That was tough."

The Indians asked him to visit pitching coach Carl Willis in North Carolina last offseason, and Lee said their chat helped. Determined to re-establish himself, he won a spot in the rotation during spring training and was the league's top pitcher from April on.

Lee had an amazing 0.67 ERA through his first seven outings and was 12-2 with a 2.31 ERA when he started for the AL in the July 15 All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium.

"I knew pretty early that it was going to be a special year. I really did," Lee said. "But I also knew that I had to keep my mind in the moment, keep doing my work, not cut any corners."

Pitching for an inconsistent team that rallied late to finish 81-81, Lee was a mark of consistency. Confident in his off-speed stuff as well as his pinpoint fastball, he walked only 34 batters in 31 starts and suddenly went from No. 5 starter to ace.

"I made a conscious effort to work on throwing away from righties and using my curveball more, using my changeup more and actually pitching," Lee said. "I was going to miss spots here and there, but for the most part I felt like I had command from the first start to the last start and I made guys earn their way on."

The 30-year-old Lee led the AL in ERA and ranked second in innings (223 1/3) and complete games (four). Halladay, the 2003 winner, topped those two categories with 246 innings and nine complete games. The right-hander was also 20-11 with a 2.78 ERA, second in the league. He piled up 206 strikeouts to Lee's 170.

Still, Lee was a heavy favorite to win Thursday. The only question seemed to be whether the vote would be unanimous.

"Obviously, I used '07 as motivation in the offseason to go and do everything I could to make sure that didn't happen again," he said. "I also think that going through what I did last year did help in making me a mentally tougher baseball player. Looking back on it, it wasn't any fun. But it definitely makes for a better story."

Lee became the first Cleveland pitcher to win 20 games since Perry in 1974, and his surprising comeback was crucial for a team that was hurt by injuries to starters Fausto Carmona and Jake Westbrook.

"My job is to come back in '09 and do it again. There's no reason to think I can't," Lee said. "I honestly feel like I'm going to come back and pick up right where I left off."

Lee received a $250,000 bonus for winning, and the price of Cleveland's 2010 club option increased from $8 million to $9 million. Halladay got $200,000 for finishing second.

Rodriguez, who set a major league mark with 62 saves this season, was listed second on seven ballots and third on 11.


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Ruth's final uniform auctioned off for $310,500

MISSION VIEJO, Calif. -- SCP Auctions bought a full Babe Ruth 1938 Brooklyn Dodgers road uniform for $310,500 at auction at the Louisville Slugger Museum.

SCP Auctions said Saturday that the uniform, the last professional uniform worn by Ruth, was purchased on behalf of a client who is an avid collector of Ruth memorabilia.

Ruth was a first-base coach for the Dodgers during the 1938 season, his final season in baseball. He also regularly took batting practice with the team to appease fans who wanted another glimpse at the great slugger.

"This is a monumental piece of baseball memorabilia, and we are proud to have been a part of the purchase on behalf of our client," said David Kohler, president of SCP Auctions. "Considering Ruth's stature not only in baseball but in American pop culture, and the fact that this is the last uniform he ever wore, this really is a rare and prized piece."

Ruth's last major league road uniform consists of his heavy gray flannel Spalding jersey and matching pants, both of which feature Ruth's full name in chain stitch near the manufacturer's tagging. The shirt retains its blue Dodgers team name across the front, and Ruth's uniform No. 35 on the back. A small "38" year designation is chain stitched on the back of the interior tail, which also retains custom lacing, which allowed Ruth to keep his shirt neatly tucked into his pants. The left sleeve retains its original 1939 World's Fair patch.


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Wood calls his departure from Cubs 'bittersweet'

CHICAGO -- Kerry Wood prepared himself mentally and emotionally last season, knowing it might be his last one with the Chicago Cubs. Turned out, it was.

Wood wanted to stay with the only team he's ever pitched for, but the economic realities of the game and the team's needs in other areas prevented that from happening.

After recovering from serious shoulder problems and numerous injuries that have sidetracked his career as a starter, Wood became a top closer last season. And now as a free agent, he can hit the market and command a multiyear contract that the Cubs were not willing to offer.

"It's bittersweet. Obviously this is my first choice. I wanted to stay here and the best choice for me and my family. ... But that's part of baseball right now," Wood said in a conference call Friday.

Wood's comments came one day after the Cubs traded for Marlins reliever Kevin Gregg. General manager Jim Hendry told reporters that the fair thing was for the team to let Wood get a deal he deserved.

The GM had already told Wood face-to-face what the Cubs were planning and that getting him a multiyear deal was not one of the top priorities. On Friday, Wood lauded Hendry for his honesty.

Chicago hopes to bring back free agent starter Ryan Dempster -- the guy Wood replaced as closer last season -- and add some left-handed offensive punch.

But Wood is one of the most popular players in team history. He pointed out that Cubs fans watched him grow up from a "pimply-faced 17-year-old, and when my tenure is done I'm leaving married with two kids."

He's also leaving with a bag full of memories -- a 20-strikeout game against the Astros in 1998 in his fifth major league start when he went on to become the NL Rookie of the Year; a 2003 season when he helped the Cubs reach Game 7 of the NLCS, where he started and lost despite hitting a home run.

"I choked," he said the night of that defeat.

Wood said this season was one of the most gratifying he's ever experienced.

After winning the closer's role in spring training, he saved 34 of 40 games, his fastball blazing in the mid 90-mph range again. He pretty much reinvented his career with the impressive return.

That career appeared to be nearly over in 2007 as he battled shoulder problems for a third straight season. But he made a stirring comeback in August that year after the pain in his shoulder mysteriously went away and pitched well in relief.

He's made 12 trips to the disabled list and missed the entire 1999 season after elbow ligament replacement surgery.

"I would love to change that, but can't change that," he said. "I couldn't change it at the time. Those things happen. I don't think this year would have been as rewarding as it was, if I hadn't gone through those things."

He said he'd given a great deal of thought to what it might be like to return to Wrigley Field and play against the Cubs in a different uniform

"It will be tough sitting on the other side," he said.

Wood signed a three-year, $32.5 million deal in March of 2004 and when that expired after his rash of injuries, he got one-year deals in each of the last two seasons.

He said he would have been agreeable to another one-year deal.

"Yeah. I think that avenue was kind of approached, but again like I said, they've got some issues they've got to take care of," Wood said. "It is what it is. It didn't work out."

Now Wood hopes to find a new job as quickly as possible, saying he wants to go to a team with a chance to win -- preferably in the National League -- and a place with a good atmosphere for his family. He plans to keep a home in Chicago where he and his wife are involved in charity work.

In 10 seasons over 11 years with the Cubs, Wood compiled a 77-61 record with a 3.65 ERA and 1,407 strikeouts in 276 games.

Wood said the incessant talk of the 100-year anniversary of the Cubs' last World Series winner got old, but didn't really bother him this past season. Chicago won the NL Central for the second straight year, only to be swept out for the second straight year in the first round.

And if the Cubs do finally make a run deep into the playoffs as they were expected to this season, it will be without their familiar No. 34.

"I'm disappointed I won't be on the team that does it," Wood said.


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