On opening Chicago - The Musical Los Angeles day last year when he was with Kansas

On opening discloses day last states year, when he was with Kansas City, he struck out in his first two at- bats against Detroit left- hander Kenny Rogers " Of course I want to play " Mientkiewicz said " It will hurt. He also said Canseco' s book might help address the steroid problem by drawing attention to it Two other MVPs also have said they used steroids. Tom Gordon pitched the ninth for his fifth save, striking out two. We' ve had a tough stretch here and these guys have responded very well " Mike Cameron, Adrian Gonzalez and Mark Bellhorn homered for the Padres, who have won four straight and have a 24- 16 road record to thank for their narrow lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado and San Francisco at the unofficial midpoint of the season. Philadelphia, which has a one- game lead over Florida in the National League East, has lost six consecutive series dating back to early June. You need to kick yourself in the behind and get back up " Ryan Howard drove in the lone run for the Phillies, who mustered only five hits in losing for the 11th time in 14 games. That total included individual pledges of$ 100, 000 from Bryant, the superstar guard of the Los Angeles Lakers, and$ 60, 000 from Golden State Warriors guard Baron Davis, who played for the New Orleans Hornets before being traded in February.

A single by Thome helped the White Sox load the bases with none out in the bottom half . But I missed up in the zone and you can' t afford to do that " Capps said " We should have won that game in the ninth . I acted like I was on fire and pointed like' throw me the ball " said Kidd . Indiana' s Stephen Jackson and Jermaine O' Neal, suspended for 30 and 15 games, respectively, for their roles in the brawl, were booed louder than the rest of their teammates during pregame introductions and sometimes when they had the ball . CHARLOTTE, N. Under terms of the reworked contract, Tauscher can earn up to$ 1 3 million each in 2007 and 2008 as roster bonuses. 18 Arizona State to a 76- 59 victory over Cleveland State in the opening round of the preseason WNIT on Friday night.

Dye nearly had his fourth hit in the eighth but Rondell White made a great catch of his drive to left . Michael Aubrey had a double and three RBIs for the Orioles, who led 5- 3 going into the sixth, but never were able to come up with the big hit to put the game away . Game notes Billlingsley is set to start Wednesday on the road at Washington . Diop' s last block appeared to seal the game at 81- 80, but Darrell Armstrong was fouled with 0 5 seconds left . ESPN' s Paul Kuharsky and The Associated Press contributed to this report. It' s important that he gets healthy for us " Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. O' Brien' s emphasis will be on developing starting pitching through the farm system_ Bowden' s biggest failure " It starts and ends with starting pitching " O' Brien said.

If I get the ball up high, they put it in the air " Nate McLouth provided Pittsburgh' s highlight, extending his hitting streak to 17 games with a fifth- inning double . At the moment, Glavine is a back- burner personnel issue for the Braves, who are trolling the free- agent market in an effort to upgrade their starting rotation . 90 ERA and the Padres have won four of five starts- the only loss coming 4- 3 in 10 innings on Sunday at San Francisco, when Wolf allowed one run and four hits in six innings " You hate to say that he' s a typical left- hander since he throws 90- plus " Dodgers manager Joe Torre said " But the fact that he can locate and throw 90 but he' s also not afraid to throw the change up " Billingsley( 4- 7) gave up four runs and eight hits over seven innings . Edwin Maysonet took his place, but Matsui entered on defense in the ninth . Accuracy has been an issue for Smith, who threw two touchdowns with no interceptions as a rookie last season in two starts " It will come " he said " Anytime passes are in the game plan, you want to try to hit them all, but nothing is perfect when you get out there on the football field This is still the preseason. in world classic Email Print Share ESPN news services NEW YORK- Barry Bonds told the players' association he plans to play for the United States in next year' s inaugural World Baseball Classic. Milton Bradley returned from a season- ending knee injury he sustained when he was spun to the ground by San Diego manager Bud Black during an argument with umpire Mike Winters on the final weekend of last season.

269 with 14 doubles, two triples, three home runs and 37 RBIs in 79 games last season, his fourth with the Angels . They want to make sure he' s strong enough to be in a safe and functional home setting Collier just wants some remnants of his former life . Updated: November 10, 2008, 7: 26 PM ET Woman files suit against Chiefs' Johnson accusing him of assault, battery Comment Email Print Share Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo- A Kansas woman filed a lawsuit Monday against Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson a month after claiming he spit a drink in her face at a bar and threatened to kill her and her boyfriend The lawsuit, filed by 24- year- old Ashley N . Updated: December 2, 2003, 9: 09 PM ET Chicago bolsters infield Email Print Share Associated Press CHICAGO- The Chicago White Sox bolstered their infield depth Tuesday, getting Juan Uribe from the Colorado Rockies for minor league infielder Aaron Miles Uribe hit . He' s a lot of things that we' re about here " Jones, sixth among AL outfielders with a. The Cardinals and Mets opened for the first time since 1996, La Russa' s first season in St Louis. Griffin also was fined$ 1, 000 by a judge who suspended his driver' s license for six months following a marijuana conviction in January " He' s done six months, eight months of care and is doing what he needs to do, and it' s time to move on with his life " Lucas said " He' s doing very well right now Basketball has never been the issue " Griffin averaged 8 7 points, 5 8 rebounds and 1 63 blocks in 150 career games with the Rockets.

One reason Cabrera decided against pitching for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic was because he wanted to learn how to bat for his new team " That( hit by Cabrera) was pretty impressive " Acta said " He was pumped up over that single He' s going to have learn how to slide, though . The Nets led 67- 53 midway through the third period before the Cavaliers went on a 23- 7 run, which saw James score eight points Cleveland led 76- 74 lead going into the fourth quarter . Estes fielded Moises Alou' s two- bouncer and probably could have thrown out Vizquel at the plate . Kenny Lofton doubled with one out and Garciaparra followed with his 14th homer of the year Morris gave up five runs and eight hits in eight innings He walked one and struck out six . I' ll have to see him and be comfortable that he can contribute and we' re not hurting him. Florida starter Ricky Nolasco allowed two runs and 10 hits in six innings " He gave up a lot of hits but he never gave up the big inning " Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said Schumaker had an RBI single in the eighth. I didn' t do my job " he said " I didn' t have command " Tigers' manager Jim Leyland isn' t worried about Washburn " He was rusty You could see his command wasn' t there " Leyland said He' s not going to be an issue for us He' s going to be good for us.

Nuggets team doctor Steven Traina sent a letter Friday to the Brazilian Basketball Confederation, explaining Nene required more time to recover after treatment for testicular cancer and other injuries " This has been a difficult season for me " Nene said " Not only on the technical side, but the emotional as well " Nene' s absence is another blow to the Brazilians, who already are without injured Cleveland Cavaliers forward Anderson Varejao . 314 with nine homers and 76 RBI " We had a need, and we hope it' s filled for several years now " the 35- year- old Byrnes said . But overall I felt a lot better this time than last time " You know, you feel like that' s all you can really hope for . And he goes down at a guard position that we needed " Floyd said the team was upset for Alexander because they had high expectations for him " Nobody worked harder than him this offseason and nobody' s had a better camp than him up to this point " Floyd said after Wednesday' s practice at New Orleans Arena, where the Hornets play Floyd' s old team, the Chicago Bulls, in an exhibition game Thursday night . Vaccaro said anyone who says the academy won' t happen because kids don' t want to leave home can look at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia " What do you think that is " Vaccaro said " Parents are sending their kids to an academy already' He said he would do speaking engagements and will pen a memoir of his 43 years in summer grassroots basketball. But Fall never let go of basketball, even if he didn' t have NBA talent] EnlargeRandy Belice/ NBAE via Getty ImagesMavericks international scout Amadou Gallo Fall has brought new opportunity to his native Senegal While he studied and worked in D. Schwartz has also been mentioned as a candidate for the openings in Atlanta, Baltimore and Miami.

An unrestricted free agent, Losman had discussions with Denver and Carolina this past offseason, but the Broncos signed Chris Simms instead, while the Panthers decided to stand pat . Volusia County Judge Freddie Worthen issued the warrant last week when probation officials said they didn' t believe Jae Kuk Ryu had completed his 100 hours of community service and issued a formal apology for killing Ozzy the osprey . Off to the worst start in his five- year career that included a trip to Triple- A Nashville, he retired the first 15 Blue Jays before walking Gregg Zaun to open the sixth . The fans let Ramirez know they didn' t think he was hustling, booing the enigmatic outfielder who could be traded before Thursday' s deadline . Wow " The Pacers simply couldn' t put the ball in the basket, and never played with any sense of purpose until it was too late. I remember when I started playing, other mothers in the Hispanic community would say " How do you let your kid play the game? It is so dangerous. Former Favre teammate and close friend Frank Winters said Favre sent him a text message during the hunting trip he took after holding his retirement news conference Thursday- a preview of the laid- back life former teammates expect Favre to settle into now that he has hung up his helmet.

Blalock could be a fit for Minnesota, looking for a third baseman and a designated hitter after acquiring Castillo on Friday " You can kind of compress exactly who you need to talk to " Twins general manager Terry Ryan said " You diminish your needs a little bit, and now you can move on to the next " Arizona, Baltimore, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, Texas head into the meetings with new GMs " There are so many people down there, it can be somewhat hectic " Oakland general manager Billy Beane said " We all go into the meetings expecting a lot Once a guy signs, that speeds up trade talks . The deal is for$ 3 million, plus$ 2 million in performance incentives and includes an option for 2008 earnings . He allowed six runs and eight hits over 6 1- 3 innings, striking out five " He' s not going to be locked in every time he goes out there " manager Mike Scioscia said " We just didn' t get the ball in the zones we needed to tonight and those guys scored a lot of runs . Game notesLos Angeles signed free agent swingman Jim Jackson on Monday and waived F Slava Medvedenko " It' s a great opportunity for me to help a young team teetering right on the cusp of staying in that eighth position and being able to take it to the next step " Jackson said " It' s also an opportunity for me to come in and play some good minutes . The lead grew to 72- 53 when Hassell made a pair of free throws with 4: 48 remaining in the third before the Knicks made it close by ending the quarter with a 12- 2 spurt " We had a hard time stopping them " Knicks coach Larry Brown said " Their zone bothered us. Steinbrenner was back at home Monday, recovering from a fainting spell, feeling well enough to crack jokes about it " I really didn' t faint. Doug Waechter pitched three innings for the Devil Rays and allowed his first earned run of the spring in nine innings He allowed two hits and walked three.

Jackson moved to third on Shawn Green' s groundout and scored on Johnny Estrada' s sacrifice fly Arizona scored three more times in the third . 96 ERA in his last four starts- ESPN Research The Cardinals have won all three series with their NL Central rivals this season and 10 of the last 14 meetings " We took advantage, like we have all year, when another team makes a misplay, we jump on them and make them pay " said Lohse " That' s what we' ve got to do to win ballgames " Wandy Rodriguez( 2- 2) pitched well for six innings . He has been dealing with left elbow tightness that has slowed his progress this spring, but said he felt a little better on Monday " It probably didn' t look as good as it felt " he said " The fastball command probably still isn' t there The arm speed isn' t there . The Cardinals had lost five consecutive games in Pittsburgh and were in jeopardy of being swept in a three- game series for the first time since Sept 12- 14, also in PNC Park Depleted by injuries, St . 63 ERA) threw a bullpen session and will start Sunday' s series finale Rodriguez left his Aug 1 start in St Louis with a strained right hamstring. Now Shanahan realizes how naïve he was to buy into Walker' s potential. Updated: May 28, 2009, 10: 26 AM ET Owens moving on from Dallas Comment Email Print Share Learn More# 187; Report a bug# 187; Feedback# 187; T O Reacts To Romo' s Comments ORCHARD PARK, N.

And if it isn' t Vlad who gets it done, it' ll likely be reason number two: The Angels' bullpen, led by never- nervous Frankie Rodgriguez . They are 28- 17 against their local rivals since Scioscia became their manager in 2000 . DENVER( AP- In a batting cage below Coors Field, Jeff Francis kept his arm loose . 5 points " He' s got to heal and he' s going to have that time " Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said " We started that process today with Manu and he' ll be off of his ankle for the next four to five weeks . If there' s a concern for Dallas, it' s that Marion will be yet another key member of the Mavs' core who is over 30, joining Nowitzki( 31, Kidd( 36, Jason Terry( 31) and Howard( who turns 30 in April Marion earned$ 17. He played his best football, by far in Chicago, and started all 16 games in 2008 For his career, St Clair has started in 55 of 107 appearances Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer with ESPN. The message read that he' s " tripping about residents " who won' t rent a home to him because they[ don' t] want any drama[ in] their neighborhood! LOL! Wow " Owens then went into further detail about his search- describing the snub as no big deal- following a voluntary minicamp practice Wednesday " They didn' t want me to rent this spot because of the extra or added attention that I may bring " said Owens, who was informed of the news after a real estate agent and his bodyguard viewed the property.

He allowed two runs, one earned, and seven hits in eight innings, with one walk " Usually I don' t strike out many and that' s not really what I' m trying to do " Webb said " Tonight my off- speed stuff was pretty good . The game was supposed to be the latter part of a split doubleheader, but the afternoon contest was wiped out by rain, courtesy of Hanna . The Clippers have indicated that they' d like to keep Richardson, but it would be impossible for them to do and continue their pursuit of Bryant . The Phillies took three straight wins in Atlanta on June 6- 8 but then lost six straight series, including four against American League teams . Mark DeRosa had four hits and scored from second base on Lopez' s error with two outs in the ninth inning as the Cleveland Indians rallied to beat the Red Sox 9- 8 on Tuesday night. Shanahan seemed to confirm the timing of his eventual return, regardless of the destination, when he told Peter King of SI and NBC on Saturday " What I' m going to do is take a couple of weeks to sit back and relax a little, then consider what it is I' m going to do. But I don' t know that we should necessarily point at Tony and say' OK, now he' s going to have to do something extraordinary' That whole team is going to have to play better than they have late in the seasons " Aikman spoke following a news conference announcing Wingstop as the official chicken wing provider for the Cowboys and their new stadium.

After being worked on for several minutes, Boldin was immobilized and placed on a stretcher before he was carted off the field . The Marlins came from behind to eliminate NL West champion San Francisco in the division series . Washington pitchers have allowed at least 10 hits in 10 of the last 13 games . Pittsburgh has a better record since the All- Star break( 15- 13) than the Cardinals( 14- 16 The Pirates are 31- 28 at home but 14- 45 on the road . Now, the Wizards will have to see if a pair can be as good as three of a kind, at least for a while. With pending legal issues and federal and state inquiries ongoing, players who were inside the structure when it collapsed have been instructed by the team to say little about the accident. He will go to Mexico this winter to try to get a better handle on off- speed pitching, but is likely to start next year back in the minors He hit 152 in 33 at- bats with the Angels last year.