Baseball Beauties MLB Highlights Week of August 3rd

I’m back and will be writing till season’s end. So much has happened in baseball this week. How about the Yankees finally beating the Red Sox and Papi’s press conference, which I thought was so full of it, it was funny! I was sad to see Giambi leave the A’s and Hamilton addressing his alcohol relapse; although in my opinion it wasn’t really a relapse since he stopped drinking afterward. Enjoy the slide show and let me know what your think about the stories that I found entertaining.

Big Papi held a news conference on drug test

Big Papi said that he never knowingly used steroids and that over-the-counter supplements and vitamins likely caused him to land on a list of alleged drug users circulated by the federal government, in a press conference today. “I definitely was a little bit careless back in those days when I was buying supplements and vitamins over the counter—legal supplements, legal vitamins over the counter—but I never buy steroids or use steroids,” he said. Papi also said that he purchased the supplements in both the United States and the Dominican Republic (right when he said that Weiner quietly said something into his ear. I think that it was something like, don’t disclose that stuff man!) and that he tested negative about 15 times since baseball’s program with penalties began in 2004 and additional times for the World Baseball Classic.

Papi continued....

Last week the union confirmed his name was on the list of 104 major leaguers who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003. Papi has been stuck in a season-long slump. He went into the game batting .225 with 15 home runs and 61 RBIs. No surprise, most guys can't hang without supplements of some sort. Papi went 0 for 5 and was booed lustily in his first game at Yankee Stadium since he said the union confirmed his name was on the list of 104 major leaguers who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003. Did Ortiz give a feasible excuse? I don’t buy it! Will he own up to extended use? Only time will tell.

A’s release Jason Giambi

It was sad to hear that Jason Giambi was release by the A’s on Friday. Everyone knew that he was struggling, but we all had love for the guy. Jason, 38 was a first baseman and designated hitter; he returned to Oakland this season after seven years with the Yankees. Giambi, was the 2000 AL MVP for the A’s, has been on the disabled list since July 20 with a strained right quadriceps muscle. Jason had a nine-game stretch in June when he was 2 for 26 (.077). He hit .152 in June for the lowest average for a month in his 15-year career. Not a good way to finish, but that’s just part of getting older in the world of sports. On a personal note: I wish you the best Jason; you had a great carrier, for the most part =)

Yankees earn 1st win against Red Sox & the 2nd & maybe a 3rd

Yankees earn first win against Red Sox & the second & maybe a third?
Yankees finally beat Boston for the first time in nine games this season, with Posada and Melky Cabrera hitting three-run homers. The Yankees pretty much kicked butt by beating Red Sox 13-6 on Thursday night. “We are playing a lot better than we started playing at the beginning,” Posada said. “We are pitching better and we’re doing a lot of things well on the mound and at the plate. Hopefully we can carry on and do what we did today.” Posada had three hits and three RBIs. Previous to the victory this was Yankees’ longest drought in one of baseball’s most heated rivalries since they lost 17 straight from Oct. 3, 1911, to July 1, 1912. It was a sellout crowd of 49,005, the largest at the new ballpark; most of the crowed bood when Big Papi came up to bat. Yankees pitchers issued 12 walks (WOW!) their most in a win since 1967 when they walked a dozen in a 4-3 victory over Boston.

A-rod comes through for his team

Yankees did it again on Friday night beating Boston 2-0 in a LONG 15-inning game; when A-Rod hit his first homer in three weeks. “Both teams were remarkable,” he said. “It was a heavyweight fight, and we were fortunate to have the last hit.” Good job A-Rod, you always come through when it counts the most, sort of like Reggie did back in the day. Boston is 5 games behind NY now and tie with the Dodgers for the best record in baseball.

Albert Pujols breaks Out of Slump (What Slump?)

Pujols broke out of his slump in a big way Tuesday, hitting two home runs, including a tenth inning grand slam. Frankly, I wasn’t even aware that he was having trouble, every player has ups and downs, but I guess if you’re the #1 player in baseball people will make a big deal out of anything. Strangely, Pujols hasn’t hit well since Matt Holliday joined the team. In the first ten games of the Matt Holliday era, Pujols was just 8-for-40 with no homers and two RBI. After Tuesday’s game that included five RBI, three runs, four hits, and a walk, Pujol’s numbers are back to where they should be.

Hamilton's relapse

Josh stood at his locker at Angel Stadium a couple hours before game time Saturday and told about a dozen reporters how much he regretted what happened at a bar in Tempe, Ariz; saying that prior to this latest episode, he hadn’t drank since Oct. 6, 2005. “I always knew there would be a chance it would come out,” he said. “I believe I got to the point where if you have alcohol in your system, your inhibitions go out the window. The details don’t matter—what kind of drink it was. It just put me in a bad situation.” Here is what happened: Hamilton said he had gone for something to eat when he decided to have a drink. Shortly after that a bunch of photos posted on Deadspin.com showing him taking shots off the bar, and dancing and hugging several young women. OK, here’s my take on it: no one is perfect and the guy is a major leaguer! Of course there will be women and alcohol around & I applaud him for only slipping once. Stay strong Josh, we are all still proud of you. Shit happens!!!

Minor Leaguer gets 30 days in jail for assaulting a fan

I wanted to briefly mention this story because I thought that it was so outrageous! Julio Castillo, a minor league pitcher who threw a baseball that went into the stands and injured a fan has been sentenced to 30 days in jail and three years' probation. This all happened when a 10-minute brawl broke out last July during a game against the Dayton Dragons. "The court does believe that he is remorseful," the judge said at Castillo's sentencing Thursday. She also ordered Castillo to get anger management counseling (he needs it!), write a letter of apology to the injured fan, stay employed and work toward a high school equivalency degree. I think that he needs to learn his lesson & the sentencing was fair.