Injuries to Surprising First Place Tampa, Bombers’ OF & DH Moves Opens Up Spot for Slugger

When Barry Bonds grabbed the microphone last Saturday night during the Giants’ celebration of their former outfielders, his statement of “I haven’t retired, thank you,” should have been listened to intently as an offer for his services. The dog days of August are upon us and the races are getting tighter. With the July 31 non-waiver trading deadline behind us, it will be extremely difficult to obtain a potent bat to pad the line-up.

That is if you’re not looking at Barry Bonds as a short-term project. Down in Tampa Bay, the Rays are enjoying their finest season and current hold a three game lead over Boston in the AL East. But they have recently went through some injuries, including outfielder Carl Crawford and closer Troy Percival, two losses that may hurt them down the stretch. The Yankees are in third place and trail both the Red Sox (6.5 games) and Twins (3.5 games) in the wild card race.

It may be now or never for the Bronx Bombers, who today dumped Richie Sexson and sent down outfielder Melky Cabrera. They need to make up a lot of ground fast and their offense has been a problem all summer long. Losing Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui for long stretches definitely made a negative impact, and a veteran bat that can reach that short right field porch at Yankee Stadium would give them a solid boost, perhaps enough to make a legitimate playoff run in the last season of the original - well, almost original - Yankee Stadium. Continue Reading »

Baseball’s Feel-Good Story is Clean in More Ways Than One

If there ever was a perfect ‘back from the dead’ story, it occurred last summer. An outfielder that was out of baseball and presumed finished lit up the sky with a miraculous comeback and breathed life into himself and his team. There was nothing that could burst his bubble, except for an unexpected slip-up.

That came in the form of a report that the player used performance-enhancing drugs, something that he didn’t deny. This player, of course, is former pitcher Rick Ankiel of the St. Louis Cardinals, but judging by the first paragraph, it could easily have been Josh Hamilton, who had his own feel-good story in 2007. There was no slip-up (in Hamilton’s case, cocaine) and he has taken it to the next level this year. Continue Reading »

Despite Decent Power Numbers in 2007, Suspected Steroid Sluggers Remain on the Sidelines

One is waiting for his day in court, the other for the next World Baseball Classic. Both have Hall of Fame Credentials and are young enough to still be playing. If chicks still dig the long ball, then this pair could still attract a harem full. But Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa haven’t received a sniff since they both became free agents following the 2007 season. And they shouldn’t expect anything to change in the near or far future.

Bonds broke Hank Aaron’s all-time home run record last summer and then was run out of San Francisco, while Sosa made a nice comeback in Texas, hitting 21 home runs and driving in 92 runs in 114 games. But the Dominican slugger was not asked to return and now has said that he intends on retiring after the next WBC, which is scheduled for March of 2009. How the 39 year-old intends on staying in game shape between now and then remains to be seen, but speculation will be running rampart on Sosa going back to his alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs. Continue Reading »

Unsigned Slugger Looks Finished with Stretched Out Court Calendar

Barry Bonds may have the all-time home run record and can probably still help a team or two out there with his power. But the 43 year-old free agent has probably played his last game due to the BALCO scandal and his upcoming trial, in which he is accused of lying to a grand jury and faces 14 counts of perjury and one of obstruction of justice.

Last week, Bonds led not guilty to the charges and was met outside the San Francisco courthouse by a large group of supporters. He was said to be in “good spirits” by his attorney Allen Ruby. If found guilty of all the charges, Bonds could face up to 80 years in prison and $500,000 in fines. That seems unlikely, though. Continue Reading »