Blah Blah Steroids: Big Papi Edition

David Ortiz has become the latest player named in major league baseball’s steroid scandal, confirming Thursday that the players’ union told him he tested positive back in 2003.

"I’ve just been told that the report is true," said the Boston Red Sox slugger. "Based on the way I lived my life I’m surprised to learn I tested positive."

Though Ortiz has never been linked to the drug scandal, it's no surprise he tested positive along with former teammate Manny Ramirez six years ago.

So yeah, stop acting so shocked.

[Steady Burn] | [My Sports Rumors] | [Josh Q. Public]

Cliff Lee Will Wear Red Pinstripes [Updated]

I think Ruben Amaro Jr. feels pretty bad for botching that whole Roy Halladay thing. Maybe that's why the Philadelphia Phillies have proposed a trade with the Cleveland Indians for the next best thing: staff ace Cliff Lee.

The Indians are definitely selling at this point, so it's not like this trade is completely out of the question. But what would the Phils offer in return? Not Kyle Drabek, that's for sure. And it better be good for Cleveland to shop their best hurler.

The Big Unit's Bones Are Creaky, Wang Sucks

Randy Johnson is one of those guys with a voice so booming that when he tells a joke, it rarely gets more than a courtesy chuckle.

However, Tuesday night he managed to make a funny regarding his recent accident at the plate:

Obviously the first thing I thought is that I won’t be able to do my instructional hitting video.

zing!

Continue reading this story at Fantasy Pros 911.

Yankees Cut Off Wang

Chien-Ming Wang and the fans of his team have finally been put out of their misery.

The New York Yankees right-hander has struggled all year long with control issues and injuries, his latest being a problem with his throwing shoulder. After landing on the disabled list on July 5th, he made the decision to undergo arthroscopic surgery which will end his season.

There isn't a timetable for his return quite yet, but manager Joe Girardi says the team should know more once the procedure is done. Wang led the American League in wins in 2006 and matched that total in 2007, but missed the last 3 1/2 months of 2008 after hurting his foot running the bases. He’s 1-6 with an unsightly 9.64 ERA in just 12 games this season, missing a month early on with a [hip injury] bruised ego.

Mark Buehrle Makes History. Again.

Mark Buehrle's badassery knew no bounds for quite a while there. The Chicago White Sox ace set a major league record Tuesday night by retiring 45 straight batters. In a row.

Right on the heels of his perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Buehrle sailed through the first five innings against the Minnesota Twins. He retired the first 17 batters he faced, breaking Jim Barr's 1972 record of 41 which was tied by White Sox reliever Bobby Jenks back in 2007.

His bid for a second consecutive perfect game, which no man has ever done, ended with a walk to Alexi Casilla with two outs in the sixth inning. I found this rather funny, since Casilla is batting like .162 and has no business even being in the big leagues.

Defending Erin Andrews

Tyler Ohmann thinks Erin Andrews orchestrated the inappropriate nude videos of herself which are floating around the internet. Therefore, he is on my shit list.

Who the hell is Tyler Ohmann, you ask? Well, he's a complete moron. Aside from that, he moonlights as the "sports editor" of the University Chronicle for St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. Me being a fellow Husky, I can't decide whether I'm more irritated with his views on the matter, or the fact that we attend the same institution. Too bad they don't offer a Common Sense course for guys like him.

She's behind these tapes about as much as she likes being stalked by handicapped Georgians. Yeah, that totally happened.

Ladies and Gentlemen: Josh Willingham

Josh Willingham nailed two grand slams Monday, tying a Washington Nationals franchise record with eight RBIs to lead his team to a rare 14-6 victory over Jeff Suppan and the Milwaukee Brewers.

The 30-year-old right fielder with a southern Alabama drawl became the 13th player in history to send not one, but two balls over the fence with the bags juiced in a single game, and first guy to do it since Boston Red Sox hot corner Bill Mueller hit one (from each side of the plate) back in on 2003.

Willingham doubled his career total of grand salamis in one night, and raised his batting average from .291 to 298.

Lincecum Lights Up the Pirates

Just when you think Little Timmy can't get much better, he strikes out a career-high fifteen batters. Of course, he was kinda bullied into it. Former San Francisco Giants teammate and all-time Home Run King Barry Bonds stopped Lincecum before the game and threatened:

Beat my old team or I’ll beat you.

Yikes.

The 25-year-old flame-throwing righty pitched a four-hitter Monday night on the heels on a crappy 3-7 road trip to bring his record to 11-3 and lower his ERA to 2.30. The team's 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates was a welcome sight, with Lincecum rebounding from a loss to the Atlanta Braves on the 22nd where he was roughed up over five innings for four runs on seven hits with two walks. Nevertheless, he struck out nine that game.

Blah Blah Roy Halladay

We have a saying around here when stuff starts to get stale.

Blah, Blah, Blah.

Anyway, since Toronto Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi still hasn’t heard any tasty offers for staff ace Roy Halladay, he has set a July 28th deadline to complete a deal.

The 2003 Cy Young Award winner, who is signed through 2010 and has no-trade clause power at his fingertips, is 11-3 on the season with a 2.73 ERA and 113 strikeouts. Ricciardi won't let on as to exactly how many proposals he's received for Halladay, but he claims there's been "enough."

Doc pitched a six-hitter against the Boston Red Sox last Sunday, earning his first victory since June 7th. After landing on the disabled list shortly thereafter, he is 1-2 in four starts since returning to the hill on June 28th.

There's another old saying that comes to mind here as well.

Crap or get off the pot, Ruben. See ya Monday!

[MLB] | [Dueling Couches] | [The 700 Level] | [MLB Rumors]

Mark Buehrle Can Thank Dewayne Wise

Color me impressed. Mark Buehrle has just thrown the 18th perfect game in major league history.

The Chicago White Sox left-hander tossed 116 pitches and got six Tampa Bay Rays to strike out, but the perfection really came down to one moment: an incredible home-run robbery by outfielder Dewayne Wise with no one out in the ninth.

Julio Lugo: What Took So Long?

There are some players that teams just seem to hang on to for no good reason, for far too long. Julio Lugo was that guy for the Boston Red Sox.

But a day after falling out of first place in the American League East, the team finally got rid of him and added a little depth to their roster. Lugo, who signed a free agent contract worth $36 million for four-years before the 2007 season, was designated for assignment Friday, but is still owed $13 million through next season.

Live and learn.

Playtime With Manny Ramirez

Manny Ramirez Bobblehead Night at Dodger Stadium was sans the star outfielder after he asked Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre to bench him against the Cincinnati Reds due to a sore left hand...

However, I think we all know Manny didn't want to participate tonight because the game would cut into his playtime with the bobblehead version of himself.

Update: With one out and the game tied at two a piece, bags juiced in the bottom of the sixth, Manny comes in to pinch hit for Chad Billingsley. What's that? A double-switch? Touché, Dusty Baker. But Manny answers on the very first pitch from Nick Masset with a grand slam to give LA a 6-2 lead.

From the legendary Vin Scully...

That's even more Hollywood than Hollywood. Yeah, you're right. It's Mannywood.

[LA Times] | [MLB Blog] | [Vin Scully Is My Homeboy]

Mattingly: Kiss Your Mama With That Mouth?

Those of us who have mothers have all been irritated with the woman at least once in our lives. Does this mean we shove should them? Um... no, probably not. Unless of course you have failed to notice the media spotlight that has surrounded your life since birth.

The son of former New York Yankees great Don Mattingly has been arrested on charges of shoving his mother, Kim Mattingly. No, wait. It gets better: he also spit in her face.

Taylor Mattingly, 24, is now facing charges consisting of battery, battery by bodily waste (ew) and criminal mischief. He was let out of the slammer late Tuesday on $250 bond, which is not nearly enough money, in my opinion.

Apparently, the ex-Mrs. Donnie Baseball sent Taylor a text message insulting him, his girlfriend and his father. She might be bitter, batshit crazy, and have alcohol-related issues surrounding her personal life, but still... shoving and spitting on the woman who gave birth to you? Geez. Show some restraint.

[NY Daily News]| [Sports Crackle Pop]

Tim Wakefield is Old [School]

Tim Wakefield, who will turn 43 on August 2nd, is headed to the disabled list with lower back pain. These things happen when you get old(er).

With room on their roster, the Boston Red Sox have recalled righty Clay Buchholz from the AAA Pawtucket Sox to start in Wakefield’s place tonight in the finale of their three-game series against the Texas Rangers, who just knocked the Sox out of first place in the AL East amidst a Josh Beckett complete game Tuesday.

The right-handed knuckleballer, sporting an 11-3 record with a 4.31 ERA, last pitched on July 8th against the Oakland Athletics. In that game, he surrendered three runs over six innings and got the win.

The move is retroactive to July 18th, which means Wakefield can return from the DL on his birthday. Apparently, the injury isn't serious -- according to him -- so Buchholz probably shouldn't get too comfy.

[Rotowire] | [Sports of Boston] | [Foul Territory]

It Ain't Over Til It's Over

Three hours, 32 minutes, 39 hits and 27 runs. Yikes.

Justin Morneau crushed a carer-high seven RBIs, but it wasn't enough to stifle Matt Holiday's bat and some horrible Minnesota Twins pitching Monday night. A combined eight longballs, including two grand slams, made up the Oakland Athletics' 14-13 dramatic rally.

Combined with the Cleveland Indians' 11-10 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays back in May, this crazy game marked the first time two teams overcame 10-run deficits in the same season since 1989.

Busy, busy day today... see ya tomorrow! I know, I'll miss you too.

[Star Tribune] | [Twins MVB] | [Cheap Seat Chronicles]

Say It Ain't So, Joe

Joe Mauer made history Sunday night.

Not the kind of personal milestone a player would like to hit by any means, but the Minnesota Twins catcher found himself going 0-for-6 against Derek Holland and the Texas Rangers in their 5-3, 11-inning win.

After this weekend's series, the two-time batting champ has a career .284 batting average against Rangers pitchers, and is hitting .358 on the season. This drops him to second in the AL batting race behind Seattle Mariners sweet-swinging outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, who's batting .363 on the year.

Welcome to Mannywood

More disturbing than Joe Mauer Sideburns Night at the Dome.

[Deadspin] | [Jorge Says No!]

Have a great weekend... See ya Monday!

Way to Go, Big Brown

Ryan Howard became the fastest big leaguer to reach 200 career home runs Thursday, nailing his 23rd longball of the season on an 0-1 changeup from Chris Volstad in the sixth inning of his Philadelphia Phillies 4-0 win over the Florida Marlins.

The giant first baseman passed Hall-of-Famer Ralph Kiner, who reached the 200-home run milestone in 706 games. It took Howard 658 games.

Voodoo Sabermetrics: Milton Bradley

Welcome back, baseball. We missed you yesterday.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our Lucky Number 13 Edition of VooDoo Sabermetrics. This week's subject is Chicago Cubs outfielder Milton Bradley. Life as a baseball fan just wouldn't be the same without guys like this.

Sooze, Babes Love Baseball and Fantasy Pros 911

Jolliness - Being restrained by coaches resulting in injury, going after television announcers in the booth, not knowing how many outs there in an inning, those run-ins with the cops in Ohio, jail-time, allegedly beating his wife... little things like this don't impede Bradley's happiness. He is, afterall, living the dream. Depending on whether he does something incredibly stupid or makes a sweet play, MB gets 5-out-of-10 green afro wigs on the ever-tipping Jollity Scale.

Theme Song - Many of us have wondered at one time or another whether Milton Bradley actually thinks before he speaks. Or acts... which brings us to his theme song: The Pixies, Where Is My Mind? Track #7 from the 1988 album Surfer Rosa.

Pedro Martinez: Old School Is Back

Pedro Martinez's cock-fighting days are over. He's finally returning to the majors... well, eventually.

The three-time Cy Young Award winner agreed to a contract with the Philadelphia Phillies Wednesday worth $1 million, with incentives that could reach $1.5 million. Aaaaaand he's already hurt. The team has placed him directly on the 15-day disabled list with a mild shoulder strain, with no word on a rehab assignment as of yet.

Continue reading this story at Fantasy Pros 911.

Stop It Right Now, A.J. Pierzynski

God damn it, you suck. It hurts my brain.

(Photo of A.J.'s stupid head courtesy of Litterblog. And yes. On Black Wednesday, the most awful day in the MLB season, this is the kind of news we resort to.)

Pedro Will Look Great in Red Pinstripes

Pedro Martinez has apparently signed a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Philles.

The 37-year-old three-time Cy Young Award winner's new deal will likely be announced in a news conference later on today, according to an anonymous source close to negotiations. He could earn up to $1.5 million in incentives, but he'll be making at least a few starts in the minor leagues before joining the big league rotation.

Martinez, the free agent righty who pitched in the World Baseball Classic for the Dominican Republic this year, was 5-6 with a 5.61 ERA with the New York Mets last season. He's a career 214-99 with a 2.91 ERA over 17 seasons in the game. Pretty good, but is there any gas left in that tank? When a Philadelphia Inquirer reporter approached him on the street yesterday afternoon, Pedro said:

We're going to talk baseball right now? Here in the street? Man. Get a stick. . . . We'll talk later. Nothing is confirmed yet, and we're still working, so take it easy. I'll talk to you guys later, OK?

Get a stick?

Update: Umm... he's already on the DL.

[Philadelphia Inquirer] | [The Fightins] | [MLB Wire]

American League Keeps On Rolling

The American League's MVP hero of Tuesday night's All-Star game was Carl Crawford. The Tampa Bay Rays outfielder robbed a home run from Brad Hawpe in the seventh inning, a shot off Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon that would've broken the 3-3 tie.

During the very next inning, Detroit Tigers centerfielder Curtis Granderson tripled and scored the go-ahead run to give the AL a 4-3 victory. Make that seven straight games since 2002’s 7-7, 11-inning tie at Miller Park and a 12-0-1 mark since the National League's last win in 1996.

So which AL team will have home field advantage in this year's World Series?

[AP] | [Best Seat in my House] | [No, You're a Towel]

National League: Lucky #13?

Braveheart wins Best Picture at the Academy Awards, hosted by Whoopi Goldberg.

Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls set an NBA record with 70 wins in a single season.

Sublime's Bradley Nowell dies from a drug overdose and Tupac is gunned down.

I get my driver's licence and fill the red Beretta with $1.00 gallons of gasoline.

The year was 1996. It was a leap year in Philadelphia, marking the last time the National League won the All-Star game. The Senior Circuit will be looking for it's first win in 13 years this evening when they take on the American League in the 80th annual All-Star game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

Derby Contest Winner!

This post is by Andrew: die-hard Brewers fan and one of my favorite commenters of all time. He won our Home Run Derby Challenge contest, and since he's a writer, we gave him a post.

Batting Practice

It can be fun when you get in a groove. It can be awesome when you get a ball in the parking lot that can clear everything. It can also start fights if you see so many Happy Youngsters going after what's rightfully yours.

But only one night a year, Batting Practice takes it to the next level. ESPN takes control, and the mellifluous tones of Chris Berman and the general savvy of Joe Morgan take us to another place. State Farm gives us the Home Run Derby, and it allowed my giant Irish head to look as smart as it's been in a while!

For you see, I called it. Before the names were announced. Yeah, me. Give me a second.

Hear that sound? That's me patting myself on the back.

You Suck, Brandon Inge

Detroit Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge just hit zero bombs in the Home Run Derby.

Good job, buddy.

First round action: Nelson Cruz and Prince Fielder are tied with 11 longballs a piece. Ryan Howard has seven, Carlos Peña, Albert Pujols and Joe Mauer are all knotted up at five a piece, and Adrian Gonazalez managed two tater tots.

Roy and Timmy: Your All-Star Hurlers

We're officially more than half-way through the 2009 baseball season, but the All-Star break is more or less considered the halfway point. Are you happy with where your team is sitting in its division standings? Washington Nationals fans, feel free to ignore that question. The rest of you have four days rest to ponder.

Anyway, your All-Star starters have been named, and there's no surprise there. San Francisco Giants phenom Tim Lincecum (10-2, 2.33 ERA) will take the hill Tuesday night for the National League while Toronto Blue Jays righty Roy Halladay (10-3, 2.85 ERA) will start for the American League.

Manny Acta: Finally Canned

Washington Nationals president Stan Kasten must've thought things could only get better for his team when he said that manager Manny Acta's job was safe. Either that, or he's a big fat liar.

Acta told ESPNdeportes on Sunday that he's been fired from the challenging Nationals skipper job after being creamed by the Houston Astros 5-0 headed into the All-Star break.

Tater Tot Hot Dish: American League

The American League has chosen its participants for tonight's Home Run Derby. Finally.

With Dustin Pedroia opting out of this year's All-Star game to hang out with his pregnant wife, he will be replaced by Carlos Peña. The Tampa Bay Rays first baseman will join Detroit Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge, Texas Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz and Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer.

Holy Breaking Ball, Jonathan Sanchez

First complete game? Check. First shut out? Check. A career-high in strikeouts? Crank it up to eleven. Really, no one can describe Jonathan Sanchez's no-hitter -- baseball's first of 2009 -- better than San Francisco Giants fans themselves...

A Giant Blog: A Giants No-Hitter!

Raising Matt Cain: History!

MCovey Chronicles: Jonathan Sanchez Pitches a No-Hitter!

Giants Win: Sanchez Stunner

THE METS HAVE GOTTEN THEIR SAVIOR!!!

Hallelujah and Amen ladies and gentlemen, the New York Mets will finally stop hemorrhaging like a severed artery. As you may have heard, the Metsies made a trade of epic proportions this afternoon, sending their very own Ryan Church, who had the innate ability to make the Mets outfield as porous as a mesh condom for...dun dun duh....JEFF FRANCOEUR.

Francoeur, since his Major League Debut in 2005, has 65 outfield assists, the most in baseball during that period. Please, please, try and contain your excitement.

Sorry Mets. Unless you're willing to fire the entire front office and DFA the entire roster, there's no way to right this ship which is sinking faster than Leo and Kate and those two sad children in the North Atlantic. Omar Minaya shouldn't be running a Banana Stand never mind a baseball team, and ohhhhh Jerry Manuel, you don't fool us with your smart man glasses.

Blow it up. Start over. This is the most hopeless group of humans to exist since the 2003 Cubs.

It's nice to be back.

--Lizzy

[Newsday]

Oops. Rolen's Streak Ends at 25 Games

After getting a day of rest on Thursday, Scott Rolen's impressive 25-game hitting streak has come to an end.

The Toronto Blue Jays hot-hitting third baseman went 0-for-4 with a line-out, two pop-outs and a fly-out in his team's 2-0 win over the Baltimore Orioles Friday night.

Sorry about that, Canada.

[Canada.com]

P.S. Yes, I realize that is a picture of former Jays third baseman Troy Glaus. Yes, it was a poor attempt at humor and the revival of a bad joke. No, I am not going to change it.

Joe Mauer for President

Well, no shock here at BLB HQ. Man Muscles accepted an invitation to the Homerun Derby. Also joining the action is last minute vote-in Brandon Inge. While we're still waiting to find out who the other two American League Derby-ers are, let's take a moment to enjoy the Joegasm.

Joe's high school coach Jim O'Neill will be pitching to him. Awww, cute.

I'm not the betting type, but if I had to put money on who else will be in the Derby, it will probably be Evan Longoria (again, not to be confused with my girl-crush EVA Longoria. Man she's hot!) and Mark Teixeira. At least, that would be the least boring scenario. Good luck, Joe! And remember, if you need a good rubdown for your Man Muscles before the All Star break, you know how to find us.

Scott and Russ: Rival Buddies at the Mall

So I ran into these guys at the Mall of America this afternoon, me a mangled mess after a good seven hour stint inside Nickelodeon Universe. Yeah.... I'll take a beer now, please.

Anyhow, I stopped them and took their picture, informed them I'd make them famous on BLB and harassed them for a couple of questions. The guy on the right, who I obviously got along with best (Man Muscles Jersey!) is named Scott Anderson. Scott is a native of Minneapolis, Minnesota, but is currently studying in enemy territory as a pharmacy student at the University of Illinois in Chicago.

The Angels are Screwed

LA Angels of Anaheim (that is what they're still called right?) outfielders Torii Hunter and Vladimir Guerrero have both been placed on the 15 day DL. Hunter has a right groin strain, which has been bugging him on and off since May. Vlad has a strained muscle behind his left knee and a strained hamstring.

Hunter was set to make his first All Star appearance as an Angel - he'd been in twice before while playing for the Minnesota Twins. Who could forget when he robbed Barry Bonds of a homerun during his first All Star Game in 2002? (After which, in a fit of roid rage Barry ran out and hoisted Torii over his shoulder and if all of America hadn't been watching, he probably would have body slammed him. Supposedly it was all in fun.. But I bet security was poised and ready to shoot horse tranquilizers at Bonds....)

Scott Rolen is on a Roll

Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Scott Rolen has hit safely in a career-high 25 straight games. I'm pretty impressed by this feat. However, the last time I went nuts over a player's hitting streak, I totally jinxed them.

This is me apologizing in advance, Canada.

The Final All-Star Votes Have Been Rocked

The fans have spoken. On-line voters -- a record 68.6 million -- have chosen to send Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino and Detroit Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge (not Miguel Cabrera...ahem) to the 80th annual All-Star game in St. Louis.

Victorino beat out Pablo Sandoval, Mark Reynolds, Matt Kemp and Cristian Guzman to earn a spot on the National League roster. Meanwhile, Inge overcame fans of Ian Kinsler, Chone Figgins, Carlos Pena and Adam Lind to become the final American League All-Star.

Man Muscles is Official

After going 3-for-5 last night against the New York Yankees (and only a triple shy away from the cycle), Joe Mauer is now eligible to win the batting title. Due to missing the first month of the season with some back pain following kidney surgery during the off season, it took until yesterday to reach the required average of 3.1 at bats per game to officially join the race. Oh, and he hit career high bomb #15 last night. Incredible.

Joe is still dangerously close to hitting .400 this year - as of last night he's still hitting .388 - well above #2 Ichiro Suzuki, who's batting .356 as of Tuesday.

National League leader Hanley Ramirez is sitting at .346.

Former teammate Torii Hunter was right when he predicted what Joe would do when he got his man muscles.

Don't Quit Your Day Job, Marky Mark

You know, for some reason, I thought Mark Wahlberg could throw a baseball. He had such great aim in Shooter...

P.S. Skip to the 4:37 mark (and avoid Skip Bayless) to see the ceremonial first pitch in all it's glory.

(Curtsy to NESWSports for the video)

What Are The Chances of a Halladay Deal?

I'm gonna go with slim to none. Of course, Roy Halladay says he'd love to keep pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays... which he kind of has to say in order to avoid looking like a traitorous a-hole.

However, he also said he's willing to consider accepting a trade if the Jays approached him with a sweet-enough deal. He had this to say on the scenario:

"I want to stay, but I think it’s a situation you have to evaluate. I’m really not at that situation just yet. If something does come up, you weigh your options at that point. I hate to put the cart in front of the horse and start saying 'Do I want to do that?' I think you just evaluate the situations when they come."

Ryan Dempster: Twinkle Toes

Apparently, Ryan Dempster is sort of a klutz. The Chicago Cubs righty was hopping the railing from the dugout to celebrate Sunday’s win over the Milwaukee Brewers when one of his legs got tangled up and caught. He landed pretty hard and hurt his toe, resulting in a non-displaced fracture. (It's broken.)

Can we see the video on this please?

Dempster was supposed to pitch Tuesday night against the Atlanta Braves, but now he'll be missing at least his next three starts. In fact, he may miss up to a month. Smooth move, big guy. Gotta love a pitcher who lands on the DL due to an injury he sustained off the mound.

Check out Cubbies Crib and the blogs below for more on this ridiculous story.

[Chicago Tribune] | [FanHouse] | [Sports Rubbish] | [Bleacher Nation]

Put It Away, Paul Konerko

Holy smokes. Paul Konerko was on fire Tuesday night, aiding his Chicago White Sox in a 10-6 victory over the Cleveland Indians.

Konerko nailed a career-high three home runs, including a go-ahead grand slam in the sixth inning. The hard-hitting first baseman, who's now enjoyed 24 multi-homer games, drove in a career-best seven RBIs to become the 12th player in White Sox history to hit three bombs in one game.

Tally those up and he's got 16 longballs with 57 RBIs and a .301 batting average on the season.

Good job, Paulie.

[MLB] | [Fantasy Baseball 365]

No Morneau in This Year's Homer Derby

My Canadian Crusher has declined his invitation to the 24th Annual Home Run Derby, to be held next Monday night on ESPN.

"They asked me yesterday," Justin Morneau said. "I said I wasn't going to do it."

And that's that.

Twitter 1, Tony La Russa 0

In case you were wondering what ever happened to that Tony La Russa v. Twitter case, he has quietly dropped his law suit against the social networking site which people use to distribute news, links and tell us what their cat is up to.

The lawsuit, originally filed back in May in San Francisco Superior Court before being transferred to federal court in June, alleged trademark infringement, "cybersquatting" and misappropriation of his name. Basically, someone set up a Twitter account in La Russa'a name and then said a bunch of dumb crap about his DUI and the recent deaths of St. Louis Cardinals players. This apparently caused him emotional stress, so he sued.

Twitter resolved the dispute by deleting the account in accordance with its Terms and Agreement and didn't end up paying the Cardinals manager a dime toward legal fees. They also didn't make any sort of donation toward his Animal Rescue Foundation. Poor puppies.

[Big League Stew] | [Mashable!] | [The Legalizer]

No Cigar, Jarrod Washburn

Jarrod Washburn totally creamed the Baltimore Orioles Monday night, leading his Seattle Mariners to a 5-0 victory by way of complete game shut-out.

Oh yeah, and he only allowed one hit: a two-out single in the fourth to Nick Markakis. Totally forgivable. Washburn faced just one batter over the minimum, struck out three, and walked no one in his 10th career complete game.

Tater Tot Hot Dish: National League

The National League contestants for this year's Home Run Derby have been announced! Ryan Howard, Prince Fielder, Albert Pujols and Adrian Gonzalez -- all four monster first basemen from the senior circuit -- will vy for the All-Star Longball Crown next Monday night on ESPN.

Now! Head over to our Home Run Derby Challenge post (where we're giving away a BLB ballcap, possibly some other goodies, and entering the winner of our choice in a chance to win two World Series tickets) and comment on which of these four sluggers you think will hit the most bombs.

Alright Dude, Let's Get Wasted!

I was reminded of this video today, so I just had to share it with those of you who may not have seen it yet. God bless John Kruk's cartoon mullet.

For the rest, check out the Adult Swim site.

Josh Hamilton Returns Today

Josh Hamilton is making his return to baseball tonight when his Texas Rangers face the Los Angeles Angels.

Now a two-time All-Star, he'll be reinstated from the 15-day disabled list after recovering from abdominal surgery. He played in a doubleheader with the AAA Oklahoma City RedHawks this Sunday, going 2-for-7 with a double, a triple, and one stolen base, but was just 4-for-27 in six games overall during the rehab stint.

Busch Stadium To Resemble Fenway

Can we get some more Boston Red Sox players in the American League's All-Star lineup please? Umm... really, Jed Lowrie? Actually, maybe I'll save my obligatory "fan-voting sucks" rant for another day.

This year's Midsummer Classic in St. Louis should be pretty exciting, considering all the young talent on both rosters, and how awesome the National League side looks.

Continue reading this story at Fantasy Pros 911.

All-Star Rosters Are All Set

The starting rosters for your 2009 All-Star teams are all set, and the American League roster is loaded with Boston Red Sox players. Business as usual, thanks to the fan-voting. Don't even get me started.

Speaking of the Sox, Tim Wakefield is an All-Star virgin at the age of 42, while Albert Pujols, the leading vote-getter, will be donning the National League jersey for the eighth time in his career. Derek Jeter finished at the top of the AL tallies for the first time, marking his tenth Midsummer Classic.