Yes sir, Ron Washington knows how to party.
The Texas Rangers manager said he made a "huge mistake" last season, referring to his past use of cocaine, which was made public Wednesday when Major League Baseball announced that he failed a drug test last summer.
Before apologizing for partying like a rock star, Washington offered to resign as the Rangers' skipper, but team president and former badass Nolan Ryan was not having it.
"I made a huge mistake and it almost caused me to lose everything I have worked for all of my life," he said. "I am not here to make excuses. There are none."
Of course, he admits to using the amphetamine only once.
Texas outfielder Josh Hamilton, who has snorted his fair share of rails in his day, said Washington was "very emotional" and that he could tell that his manager is "a broken man from this one bad choice he made."
Ron Washington wins the 2010 Shocker Award. Already. Seriously, who saw this one coming?
[SI.com] | [Midwest Sports Fans] | [Rangers Blog]
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Monday's contest between the Mariners and the Diamondbacks saw the benches clear and Cliff Lee get ejected for... not knowing how to pitch?
Lee was tossed for supposedly trying to hit Arizona catcher Chris Snyder in the bottom of the third inning. There had been an incident in the first where Snyder ran into Lee, who was trying to cover home, and knocked him down. "All I know was I was rolling on the ground," Lee said. "I got knocked down. I didn't see it all. I was looking at the play." Hmmm. Lee claimed this had nothing to do with the poorly placed pitch, instead saying that he was having a hard time landing inside pitches that day. If Lee wasn't one of the best pitchers in the game, we might have believed him....
After almost getting his head taken off, Snyder stepped out of the batters box and walked toward Lee telling him what he thought of the 'missed pitch'. At this point, the benches cleared and to our disappointment, no punches were thrown by either side. What's a brawl without at least a little slapping? For future reference, boys, a good bench clearing brawl entails more than some name calling and whining.
While Lee and the Mariners claim the near-bean wasn't intentional and that it wasn't a big deal, the D-backs are a little upset. Snyder was quoted as saying "It's Spring Training, that's all it is, I don't see a reason for it," and "He got me good, man. He charley-horsed my leg, then he threw at my head. He's up, 2-0,on me."
The two teams face each other again on Saturday. Let's hope for entertainment's sake that if there is retaliation and the benches clear that someone at least gets their hat knocked off. But please, boys, be careful not to hurt Griffey. We love him, and he's kind of old and fragile.
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With pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training camps this week, it's time for one of our favorite things in all the world: Season Previews. Three years ago, they began as a semi-serious analysis and ended up as half-assed haiku. We're just gonna go with what we know. Continuing with our preview of the American League West, here are the Texas Rangers.
The Texas Rangers
Are a fairly young team. The
Roster’s still not set.
Taylor Teagarden
And Saltalamacchia
Vying for catcher.
Neftali Feliz
And his hundred mph
Fastball hope to start.
Can Hamilton stay
Healthy for more than a week?
Vlad is still scary.
Uncertainty looms
Over their season. Will they
Crash or will they shine?
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Lance Berkman will not be participating in baseball-related activities for a few weeks after undergoing minor surgery on his left knee Saturday.
Since his recovery time is scheduled for 2-4 weeks, he may even be on the bench for Opening Day, which means Geoff Blum would likely start in his place.
The Houston Astros first baseman hurt his knee doing a base running drill on March 1, and initial tests showed only a bruise. After playing in five spring games, the knee continued to swell, so their team doctor recommended arthroscopic surgery like he had on the same knee back in 1999.
The five time All-Star missed 18 games last year with a strained left calf and ended the season batting a career-low .274. He is entering the final season of an $85 million, six-year contract extension. Welcome to your mid-thirties Fat Elvis! Creaky knees, sore calves... this is about when everything starts slowly falling apart.
[Fantasy Knuckleheads] | [The Crawfish Boxes] | [MLB Fanhouse]
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With Spring Training under way, it's time for one of our favorite things in all the world: Season Previews. Three years ago, they began as a semi-serious analysis and ended up as half-assed haiku. We're just gonna go with what we know. Continuing on with our preview of the American League West, here are the Oakland Athletics.
How can elephants
Balancing on giant balls
Be called athletic?
What a weird mascot
Not sure if I like Stomper...
Ben Sheets saves the A's!
Bobby Crosby's gone
So is Adam Kennedy
Also Cunningham
Who signed with the Sox?
Nomar Garciaparra.
He quit playing ball
Jack Cust is a beast
Daric Barton has a job?
Well, so does Chavez
Love Andrew Bailey,
Braden, Cahill and Devine
Ziegler too I guess
No playoffs for them
Obligatory mention
of Moneyball. Yay!
[Athletics Nation] | [Moneyball Blog] | [Swingin' A's]
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Jim Hendry is not impressed with Milton Bradley.
Still.
Even though the outfielder is no longer under his supervision since he joined the Seattle Mariners, the Chicago Cubs general manager felt the need to respond to Bradley's latest allegations that the club treated him like crap and the fans were a bunch of racists.
"I think it's time maybe Milton looked himself in the mirror," a slightly pissed off Hendry said Wednesday. "He just didn't swing the bat. He didn't get the job done. It's really unfortunate that you ... try to use the other areas for excuses."
High five, Mr. Hendry. He went on to call the $30 million, three-year deal the club gave Bradley before last season "a mistake" and that the organization as a whole has improved in his absence.
Basically, even the ivy looks healthier without him around.
Bradley batted .257 with 12 homers and 40 RBIs last season amidst regular boos at Wrigley Field. Those boos, he revealed in an ESPN interview that aired on Tuesday, came from racist fans who made him feel "like a prisoner in [his] own home."
Oh my goodness. I hate to be pessimistic here cause that's really not my style, but this guy has a history -- a solid, steady history -- of being a total whack job. Have fun with that Mariners fans... for your sake, I hope he does very, very well in Seattle. Otherwise, it's totally gonna be your fault and I don't want to see you get yelled at.
Also, writing this post prompted me to kick it up a notch over at Sports Untapped, where I wrote this ridiculous timeline chronicling his drift to insanity.
[NESN] | [Tales from Aisle 424] | [Bleacher Nation]
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