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But Johnson’s involvement in the deal could possibly mean more than just the further diversification of the former NBA great’s business portfolio.

Johnson, who has already become the face of the organization, also has an opportunity to lend his star power to baseball, perhaps spurring the increased participation of African-American players and fans.

According to a Fox Sports report, Johnson has a stake in a sport in which the number of black players and fans has been its lowest numbers in several decades.

Sixty-five years after Jackie Robinson integrated baseball wearing a Dodgers uniform, African-Americans and baseball have an estranged relationship. For example, the percentage of African-Americans on Opening Day rosters has dropped from 18 percent of players in 1991 to 8.5 percent last year.

In addition, only nine percent of fans who attended a major league game last season were African-American, reported a Scarborough Research study. Meanwhile, only six percent of African-Americans consider baseball to be their favorite sport, according to a separate Harris Poll.

However, Tommy Hawkins, the Dodgers’ VP of communications from 1987 to 2005, said Johnson’s involvement in baseball is great news but admitted that one man couldn’t resuscitate African-American interest in the game alone.

Hawkins said:

“Magic will not be able to wave a magic wand over baseball and make that kind of meaningful impact. I think it’s great that he becomes a part-owner, but a lot of work needs to be done to reignite the black response.”

Currently, there are several outreach programs in urban areas that help generate interest in baseball including Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) initiative. New York Yankees pitcher C.C. Sabathia and Boston’s Carl Crawford both participated in RBI as young players.

For his part, Johnson is working with the Jackie Robinson Foundation. Robinson’s daughter, Sharon, is set to be an advisor and focus mostly on community outreach.

The 2012-2013 season has just started and Johnson wants show baseball he’s serious.

In attendance at the Dodger’s opening game last Thursday against the San Diego Padres, he told the San Jose Mercury News:

“When my group bought this team, I said I was going to be there with them, and for them. Today I wanted to show the players exactly what I meant.”

Let’s see if African-Americans respond to Magic’s presence on the baseball diamond like they did to his presence on the basketball court.

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Brett Johnson is a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based writer and the founder of the music and culture blog VeryArtistical.com.

Fielder and the Tigers agreed Tuesday to a nine-year, $214 million contract, a person familiar with the deal said. The AL Central champions boldly stepped up in the Fielder sweepstakes after the recent knee injury to star Victor Martinez. A week ago, the Tigers announced the productive designated hitter could miss the entire season after tearing his left ACL during offseason conditioning.

CBS first reported the agreement with Fielder.

The person told The Associated Press the deal was subject to a physical. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract was not yet complete.

Several teams had shown interest this winter in Fielder, the free agent first baseman who had spent his entire career with the Milwaukee Brewers. He visited Texas, and the Washington Nationals also got involved in the discussions.

The Tigers won their division by 15 games before losing in the AL championship series to Texas. With Fielder now in the fold, general manager Dave Dombrowski and owner Mike Ilitch have a team that figures to enter the 2012 season as a favorite to repeat in the division — with an eye on winning the franchise’s first World Series title since 1984.

“Everyone knew Mr. Ilitch and Mr. Dombrowski were going to make a move when Victor went down,” outfielder Brennan Boesch said in a phone interview with the AP. “But I don’t think anybody thought it would be this big.”

The move also keeps Fielder’s name in the Tigers’ family. His father, Cecil, became a big league star when he returned to the majors from Japan and hit 51 home runs with Detroit in 1990. Cecil played with the Tigers into the 1996 season, and young Prince made a name for himself by hitting prodigious home runs in batting practice at Tiger Stadium.

In an interview with MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM, Cecil Fielder said he was “shocked” by the news that Prince was heading to Detroit.

“He’s been there in Detroit most of his young life so I think he’ll be comfortable in that place,” Cecil Fielder said. “I know Mr. Ilitch is probably excited because he’s been wanting that kid since he was a little kid, so he finally got his wish.”

With Cabrera and Fielder, Detroit will begin this season with two players under age 30 with at least 200 career homers. According to STATS LLC, that’s happened only once before. At the start of the 1961 season, the Milwaukee Braves featured 29-year-old Eddie Mathews (338 homers) and 27-year-old Hank Aaron (219).

Fielder hit .299 with 38 home runs and 120 RBIs last season. He is a three-time All-Star and was the MVP of last year’s event in Phoenix.

The beefy slugger has averaged 40 homers and 113 RBIs over the past five years. He’s also been among the most durable players in the majors, appearing in at least 157 games in each of the last six seasons.

Fielder hits left-handed, while Cabrera is a righty. Manager Jim Leyland will get to decide where to put them in the batting order.

“I don’t think there’s a better right-left combo in any lineup in baseball,” Boesch said. “I’m sure Skip’s wheels are already turning on how to set them up.”

And to think, the Tigers also have the American League’s reigning MVP and Cy Young Award winner — right-hander Justin Verlander.

Fielder’s deal is only the fourth $200 million contract in baseball history, following Alex Rodriguez’s $275 million, 10-year contract with the New York Yankees, A-Rod’s $252 million, 10-year deal with Texas and Albert Pujols’ $240 million, 10-year contract last month with the Los Angeles Angels.

Among current players, Fielder’s $23.78 million average salary is behind only A-Rod ($27.5 million), Ryan Howard ($25 million), and Cliff Lee and Pujols ($24 million each).

Dombrowski indicated last week he’d probably seek a short-term solution to Martinez’s injury, but he left himself some wriggle room, saying it depended who the replacement was.

Acquiring Fielder opens all sorts of possibilities. For now, Detroit has an opening at DH with Martinez out. But Martinez is in the second year of a $50 million, four-year contract.

One option could be to move Cabrera from first base to third. He played third base regularly for the Florida Marlins before the Tigers acquired him before the 2008 season.

Third baseman Brandon Inge has one year left on a two-year, $11.5 million deal with Detroit.

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Bonds, 47, was convicted in April of obstructing a grand jury’s sports doping investigation with an evasive answer. Prosecutors dropped three other perjury counts after the jury deadlocked on those charges, which accused Bonds of lying to the grand jury when he denied knowingly taking performance-enhancing drugs.

Federal sentencing guidelines for conviction on the charge recommend a prison sentence between 15 months and 21 months. But Bonds’ lawyers cited an investigative report prepared by a federal probation officer for the judge that also recommended a sentence of probation.

The lawyers said they disagreed, however, with the probation report’s recommendation that Bonds spend an unspecified time under “location monitoring,” a form of house arrest.

In their motion, Bonds’ lawyers said the probation department cited Bonds’ “significant history of charitable, civic and prior good works” as a major reason for leniency. The probation officer also noted that Bonds’ conviction appears “to be an aberration when taken in context of his entire life,” according to the lawyers.

“The behavior for which Mr. Bonds is to be sentenced relates to his obstruction of justice conduct before the grand jury,” lawyers quoted the probation officer as reporting in the sentencing recommendation. “The sentence to be imposed should not be about steroid use and how this use impacts his stature.”

The lawyers said the probation officer recommended probation because other sports figures convicted of similar charges stemming from the same sports doping investigation also avoided prison.

Juries convicted cyclist Tammy Thomas of perjury for testifying she never used steroids and former track coach Trevor Graham for lying to investigators about his involvement with a steroids dealer. Both were sentenced to periods of house arrest, which is considered a form of probation.

Former professional football player Dana Stubblefield pleaded guilty to lying to investigators and was sentenced to probation.

Prosecutors were expected to submit their sentencing recommendations in Bonds’ case this week. His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 16.

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But baseball? Not so much while growing up at the Richard Allen projects in Philadelphia.

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“No, no, no. I wasn’t any good,” the comedian told The Associated Press recently. “But I was fast. I think I held the record for the highest batting average – maybe .300 or something – for someone who never hit the ball out of the infield.”

There was the time he stole, too. A high school classmate’s glove, that is.

“I got caught,” he said. “I learned I wasn’t a very good lookout for myself and better find something else to do.”

Those stories aren’t in his book that came out last month, “I Didn’t Ask to Be Born (But I’m Glad I Was).” There is a delightful tale, though, of the day his pal Peanut Armhouse got called home by his mom while playing softball and dared to ignore her. While the other boys stood petrified by her shouts, ol’ Peanut picked up the ball, hit a weak grounder and did his own play-by-play while rounding the bases.

Just the way By Saam would’ve called it, Cosby wrote, referencing the famed Phillies announcer for four decades.

Back in the 1940s, schoolyards and sandlots in his neighborhood were full of kids playing baseball and softball. Or step-ball, with players tossing a bouncy ball off the angled steps of Philly’s row houses. Or even hose-ball, a game he recalled that used a cutup, four-inch piece of garden hose as the ball.

At 74, Cosby doesn’t see crowded inner-city fields anymore.

“Look at how desperate we were to play. We’d be out there trying to catch a rock, in the dark,” he said. “But schools cut out gym classes. Schools cut off recess. We’ve got a lot of chubby kids now.”

Some of those kids, he observed, prefer to play baseball on a computer screen rather than with real bats and balls.

“What they’re building are remedial gyms,” Cosby said.

Cosby is concerned many would-be ballplayers are being priced out.

“Those gloves don’t cost 12 cents,” he said. “What do they cost now, $400? And it costs $600 or something to join some of these leagues.”

“And remember, there are places now where you can’t just go running around, the bullets are flying,” he said.

Quite a difference from when he’d show up to play in the Police Athletic League. There, at the 69th PAL, bats and gloves and uniforms were provided. Everything except the shoes.

“Mine were cardboard and leather,” Cosby said.

No matter, he was a pretty slick-fielding second baseman in those days. That’s his story, anyway.

“I could turn the double play. I’d come across, put my foot against the back left corner of the bag and sidearm that throw,” Cosby said. “That I could do.”

Cosby neatly ticked off the names of the Phillies from his youth – Richie Ashburn, Robin Roberts, Granny Hamner and Puddin’ Head Jones, stars on the 1950 Whiz Kids.

They also were the favorites of his grandfather, a devout Phillies fan who kept two radios cranked up at home so he could listen to games from every room. When Cosby began to succeed in show business, he bought him a special present: season tickets on the third base side at Connie Mack Stadium.

Sometime that season, Cosby called from the road and asked an uncle how the seats were working out.

“He told me granddad went to one game, didn’t like how people were yelling at the players and said in the fourth inning that he wanted to go home,” Cosby said. “And that was the end of the season tickets for the Phillies.”

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Rotterdam Police spokeswoman Patricia Wessels said police were called to a home in the port city in the early hours of the morning and found the 24-year-old Dutch player bleeding from a stab wound.

The officers and ambulance paramedics were unable to resuscitate Halman.

Wessels said the officers arrested Halman’s 22-year-old brother. She declined to give his name, in line with Dutch privacy rules.

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“He is under arrest and right now he is being questioned,” Wessels told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “It will take some time to figure out what exactly happened.”

No charges have been filed in the case.

Halman hit .230 in 35 games and made starts at all three outfield positions for the Mariners in 2011 before being optioned to Triple-A Tacoma.

Because he played professionally in the United States, Halman was not part of the Netherlands team that won the Baseball World Cup in Panama last month. The Dutch beat Cuba 2-1 in the final to become the first European team to win the title.

Born in the city of Haarlem, Halman played in the Dutch Pro League and was part of the gold-medal winning Dutch squad at the 2007 European Championship.

The St. Louis Cardinals, the team that wasn’t even supposed to be here, had won a most remarkable World Series.

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A day after twice being down to their last strike, the Cardinals became champions by beating the Texas Rangers 6-2 in Game 7 on Friday night, boosted by another key hit from hometown MVP David Freese and six gutty innings by Chris Carpenter.

“It’s hard to explain how this happened,” Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said.

Beyond that final boxscore, that is.

Pushed to the brink, the Cardinals kept saving themselves. A frantic rush from 10 1/2 games out in late August to reach the postseason on the final day. A nifty pair of comebacks against Philadelphia and Milwaukee in the playoffs. And then two desperate rallies in Game 6.

“This whole ride, this team deserves this,” said Freese, who added more hardware to the trophy he won as the NL championship series MVP.

But how? How did they do it?

“It’s a long season. If you watch the history of baseball, teams come back. And sometimes they could have come back but they give in or give up,” La Russa said.

“Started winning some games so we can regain some respect, and then it got better,” he said. “Play every game like it’s the last game.”

Following that comeback in Game 6 that resulted in a 10-9 win in 11 innings, the Cardinals captured their 11th World Series crown. Only the New York Yankees own more with 27.

Still, few Negro League legends received the fanfare that white players received for their accolades. In fact, many players ended their careers working menial jobs and being buried in unmarked graves.

The Negro Leagues Baseball Grave Marker Project–a project that restores the unmarked graves of Negro League legends– is bringing these players legends and lives out of obscurity.

“It’s important for people to realize that many of these ballplayers when they left professional baseball, they were forced to take menial jobs such as custodians and security guards. Many of them had to work for minimum wage,” said Larry Lester, chairman of the Negro League Committee for the Society of American Baseball Research.

Read more at MSNBC.

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One of the Yankees few African-American players is not harping on the lack of Blacks in baseball, but asking where the Black fans are at games.

Granderson recently challenged his fellow Yankees to count the number of Black people at ballgames.

“At first, it starts off as a joke,” Granderson, who hit the second most home runs in baseball (42) between 2010 and this year’s All-Star Game, (Toronto’s Jose Bautista 61), told the Fort Worth-Star Telegram.

“And as the game moves on, you’ll get to 10, or maybe 15. Depends on where you are, too. Places like Chicago or New York, other places it’s easy. Here (in Texas), it’s hard. So after a while it becomes, ‘Told you so.’”

Read more at The Dish

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Fifty years ago, baseball was the sport that had the hearts of African-American children across the country.

Before Major League Baseball integrated, African-Americans created the Negro Leagues, which was a farm full of fresh Black talent that was home to the likes of Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson to name a few.

But what was once the most popular sport amongst African-Americans, has now become an afterthought in the community. And while the lack of Black baseball players is a major concern (8 percent), we can’t forget the great players who have donned uniforms for various ball clubs from the Willie Mays to present day stars like Derek Jeter.

Below is a list of the best Black baseball players of all-time. We compiled it in a starting lineup format.

Feel free to leave your thoughts and suggestions.

First Basemen

“The Big Hurt” Frank Thomas leads off our list of “Best Black Baseball Players of All-Time” as one of the greatest first-basemen ever.

Thomas, who spent 15 years on the Southside of Chicago with the White Sox, hit .301 for his career, hit 521 homeruns, and drove in 1,704 runs.

Second Basemen

The man who broke the baseball color barrier in 1947, Jackie Robinson, was a six-time all-star selection.

Robinson, whose jersey has been retired by every MLB team, is most remembered for work both on and off the field in advancing the cause of Black athletes in the sport.

Third Basemen

While Derek Jeter isn’t a third basemen, we didn’t think he should be left off the list for someone like the Atlanta Braves Terry Pendleton. While Pendleton has a solid career, it wasn’t a Hall of Fame one like Jeter.

Jeter, who joined the 3,000 hit club this past weekend with a classic 5-for-5 game, has won 5 World Series titles with the Bronx Bombers.

He’s also a twelve-time all-star, and is signed with the Yankees through 2015.

Shortstop

The man known around North Chicago as “Mr. Cub,” Ernie Banks, signed with the Cubs in 1953 after playing for years in the Negro Leagues.

Once he joined the Cubs in 1953, he never left. He spent his next 18 years there batting .271, hitting 512 homers, and driving in 1,636 runs.

Left Field

One of the most controversial athletes of all-time, Barry Bonds takes the left field slot in our list.

Bonds, who is reviled across the country by most sports fans, is second on the all-time home run list with 762.

Bonds finished his career with the Giants batting .298 with 1,996 runs batted in.

He was convicted on an obstruction of justice charge earlier this year.

Center Field

Many consider Willie Mays to be the greatest all-around baseball player of all-time. As dazzling as he was in the batter’s box, he also shined as a fielder catching up to fly balls and line drivers unlike any player of his time. Mays won a record tying twelve Gold Gloves, won the MVP award twice, and won a World Series title in 1954.

Right Fielder

Before injuries derailed his career, many thought Ken Griffey Jr. was on his way to becoming the greatest player of all-time. He had all the tools – he could run, play defense, hit for power, hit for average, and throw. While Griffey finished his career in Cincinnati and back home in Seattle, many choose to remember his glory years. He hit .284 for his career and hit 630 home runs.

Designated Hitter

Henry “Hank” Aaron is most remembered for being the home-run king with 755 dingers. But many forget that he’s also part of the storied 3,000 hit club.

For 23 years, Aaron was one of the greatest baseball players to ever step foot on the field. He finished his career with an impressive .305 batting average, 2,297 runs batted in, and made the all-star twenty years in a row from 1955-75. He led the Atlanta Braves to a 1957 World Series title.

Catcher

Considered by many as not only the greatest catcher to ever play in the Negro Leagues, but the greatest catcher in baseball history period, Josh Gibson hit an astounding .359 for his career.

Known as the “Black Babe Ruth,” he never played in the Major Leagues because of their exclusionary rules towards Blacks.

Starting Pitcher

One of the most dominant pitchers of all-time, lifetime St. Louis Cardinal Bob Gibson struck fear in all opposing batters.

Gibson went 251-174 for the Cardinals and had a 2.91 ERA for his career.

He won the Cy Young twice, and was a two-time World Series MVP.

Closer

Lee Smith was one of the most dominant closers of all-time. He held the record for most saves for 13 years until 2006 when San Diego Padres closer, Trevor Hoffman, passed him.

Smith finished his career with 478 saves and a 3.03 ERA.

He spent the majority of his career with the Chicago Cubs.

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The fan who caught Derek Jeter’s historic 3,000th hit, Christian Lopez, called Derek Jeter a “Latino” when he was interviewed after catching the historic ball.

Problem is that Derek Jeter is far from Latino — he’s actually half-Black and white.

Now many look at Derek Jeter in the same way they look at Tiger Woods; almost as color-less athletes. Both of them have stayed far away from any type of racial issues or talk which have endeared them to all types of fans.

With his appeal amongst all fans, and refusal to speak about any racial issues, do you consider Jeter to be a Black man?

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On this list, you will find all-time home-run king, Hank Aaron, and other legends like the “Say Hey Kid,” Willie Mays.

Hank Aaron

Hits: 3,771

Henry “Hank” Aaron is most remembered for being the home-run king with 755 dingers. But many forget that he’s also part of the storied 3,000 hit club.

For 23 years, Aaron was one of the greatest baseball players to ever step foot on the field. He finished his career with an impressive .305 batting average, 2,297 runs batted in, and made the all-star twenty years in a row from 1955-75. He led the Atlanta Braves to a 1957 World Series title.

Willie Mays

Hits: 3,283

Many consider Willie Mays to be the greatest all-around baseball player of all-time. As dazzling as he was in the batter’s box, he also shined as a fielder catching up to fly balls and line drivers unlike any player of his time. Mays won a record tying twelve Gold Gloves, won the MVP award twice, and won a World Series title in 1954.

Eddie Murray

Hits: 3,255

When the word “reliable” comes up when talking about baseball players historically, designated hitter Eddie Murray will always be in the conversation.

One of the best switch-hitters of all-time, Murray, spent the majority of his career with the Baltimore Orioles where he began his quest for 3,000 hits. He hit .287 for his career, belted 517 home runs, and drove in 1,917 runs.

Tony Gwynn

Hits: 3,141

Not only was Tony Gwynn the greatest baseball player in San Diego Padres history, but many consider him to be the best hitter of all-time — even better than the iconic Ted Williams.

Gwynn spent 19 years in a Padre uniform in which he hit an astounding .338, hit 135 home runs, and drove in 1,138 runs.

Dave Winfield

Hits: 3,110

One of the most feared and intimidating ballplayers of his era, Dave Winfield made his name with the San Diego Padres and New York Yankees where he belted the majority of his 465 home runs.

ESPN ranked him the third best all-around athlete of all-time in any sport.

Rickey Henderson

Hits: 3,055

One of the greatest entertainers to ever step on a baseball field, Rickey Henderson, was a sight to see for all.

Whenever Henderson got on base, he was a threat to steal the next two bases — including home plate if he felt brave.

The sports greatest leadoff hitter, he holds the record for stolen bases at 1,406, and drove in 2,295 runs in his career.

Rod Carew

Hits: 3,053

Probably the most consistent contact-hitter of all-time, Rod Carew made his career out of taking plenty of pitches and hitting balls through the gaps of frustrated third and first basemen.

He was an 18-time all-star selection and won the 1977 AL MVP.

Lou Brock

Hits: 3,023

He was all about the hustle. The man that broke Ty Cobb’s stolen base record, Lou Brock, was a firecracker for the St. Louis Cardinals both in the batter’s box and on the field.

Brock was a six-time all-star selection and won two World Series titles with the Cardinals.

He hit .293 for his career and drove in 900 runs.

Derek Jeter

Hits: 3,004

“The Captain,” “Mr. October,” — the nicknames go on and on for the New York Yankees beloved shortstop Derek Jeter.

Jeter, who joined the 3,000 hit club this past weekend with a classic 5-for-5 game, has won 5 World Series titles with the Bronx Bombers.

He’s also a twelve-time all-star, and is signed with the Yankees through 2015.

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Cincinnati Reds pitcher Mike Leake has been arrested today after being caught on camera inside the downtown Macy’s store with a substantial amount of stolen merchandise. The 23-year-old pitcher was caught leaving the Vine Street department store without paying for the six t-shirts he had in hand.

It was 65 years ago today that Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball in front of 26,623 spectators, more than half of which were Black.

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The legend retired from baseball in 1956, and passed away October 24, 1972 at the age of 53.

A number of teams around the MLB are celebrating Robinson’s historic career today, including the Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, and Los Angeles Dodgers. Teams will have special ceremonies for Robinson and players around the league will wear the number 42 on the field today.

The MLB also announced the creation of IAM42.com, a site where over 60 players and professionals from across baseball have compiled videos expressing what Robinson’s legacy means to them. You can check out the site for yourself, here.

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Vienna, Ga– A draft pick of the New York Yankees who is suffering a rare disease received a life-saving kidney from his coach. Kevin Jordan was diagnosed with ANCA vasculitis, a disease which attacked his kidney.

His senior year, he committed to Wake Forest University, awaiting the draft. Suddenly however, Jordan’s started to feel weaker and weaker.

He was diagnosed with ANCA vasculitis, a disease of the immune system that is so rare it only shows up in 1 in 55,000 people. It attacked Jordan’s kidneys. Kevin had to live by himself during his first semester of college.

He went through dialysis every night while he slept. Then his coach Tom Walter stepped in, offering to donate his kidney.
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Tom Walter and Kevin Jordan underwent surgery on Monday, Feb. 7, 2011.

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By Michael Tapia

The ALCS is here and the 27-time World Series Champion New York Yankees will face off against the upstart Texas Rangers this Friday evening.

As division winners, the Rangers earned the right to home field advantage, which means the series first two games will be in Texas. The following three games will be played in NY, while the last two will be back in Arlington. The regular season series split at four games apiece – with the Yankees sweeping the first three games series at Yankee Stadium – splitting at Texas, and the Rangers sweeping the final series at the Ballpark in Arlington. With those numbers, it’s difficult to pick an overwhelming favorite.

An interesting aspect of this series will be how the pitching match-ups play out. Due to the Tampa/Texas series extending to Game 5, the Rangers will not start their ace Cliff Lee until game three because they want to pitch him on full rest. The Yankees have opted to swap their Game 2 and 3 starters, which means that Phil Hughes (Game 2) and Andy Petitte (Game 3) will reverse the previous rounds order. The Yankees will feature CC Sabathia in Game 1 on Friday and A.J. Burnett in Game 4. The Rangers will open the series with C.J. Wilson followed by Colby Lewis, Cliff Lee and Tommy Hunter.

It will be interesting to see the Yankees win against Cliff Lee who has been nothing short of spectacular this postseason. Another interesting factor will be Burnett’s performance and his ability to win. For those two reasons, many analysts argue that Burnett should have been simply matched up against Lee. By matching up Lee and Burnett in different games, the Yankees are potentially setting themselves up for three losses. Luckily, for the Yankees, this is a best out of seven series, so three games will not be enough to get the Rangers to the next round.

Although the Yankees do have the pitching advantage, they will need to look out for clever players like Vladimir Guerrero and Nelson Cruz who have been red hot lately. Also, we can’t forget about offensive threats like Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler and Michael Young. For the Yankees to succeed, they will have to contain the Rangers’ offense to a minimum; as their pitching was dismantled by Texas in their last series. On the other hand, the Yankees will need sluggers like Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher, Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada to produce as well as contact hitters like Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson. The offense driven Rangers do have the potential to beat the Yankees, but experience will play a big role in this series.

Because success in the postseason is so dependent on pitching and the Yankees have the advantage, Cliff Lee not being able to pitch the first game will give the Yankees a shot at a 28th world title, in a series that should go 7 games.

Please check back tomorrow for the NLCS preview.

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By Michael Tapia

Last night was an extremely emotional one in the city of Atlanta, as the San Francisco Giants eliminated the undermanned Atlanta Braves to win the NLDS three games to one. But where the emotions really poured out was at the fact that the Braves not seeing their long time skipper, Bobby Cox, standing on those dugout steps for another 162 game season.

After an illustrious 29-year career and 2,504 regular season managerial wins, Cox is calling it quits. Sitting at the podium after their 3-2 loss an emotional Cox said, “I’m proud of this team…They played their hearts out and I’ll miss them,” while holding back tears. One of his longtime players, Chipper Jones, said he had never seen the skipper so emotional. Rookie sensation Jason Heyward also expressed his gratitude for the one season he spent under the guidance of Cox.

While there are so many statistics that positively reflect the career of Bobby Cox, one negative statistic actually brings to light the manager’s most revered quality – his passion.

During his career, Cox was ejected 158 times. He was so passionate about the game of baseball and what he believed in, that he would not hesitate to intercede on behalf of his players until he was ejected from the game he loved. Thanks to his passion and devotion to the Braves organization and the city of Atlanta – he won the hearts of the fans to the extent -  that despite yesterday’s discouraging loss, fans chanted “Bobby, Bobby, Bobby” as the Giants celebrated their game 4 victory on the field. Moments later, the Giants also joined the fans to pay tribute to Cox. The Giants Freddy Sanchez explained why his team saluted Cox.

“He’s a legend in this sport. He’s been a great mentor to so many people in the sport,” Sanchez said. “We had to show our respect. First things first. Then we could go celebrate.”

Despite their disappointment in being eliminated, all four series games were decided by one run including the series closer. Both pitchers performed well with Derek Lowe throwing a two hitter, while one his 3 runs being unearned.

On the Giants side, the oft-hyped Madison Bumgamer took the win after pitching six strong innings giving up two earned runs, six hits and striking out five. Bumgamer’s biggest threat was Brian McCann who had Atlana’s only two RBI’s; with a sacrifice fly in the third inning to score Omar Infante; and a home run in the bottom of the sixth. The Giants bats were quiet until the top of the sixth inning when Cody Ross homered to left field. One inning later, Juan Uribe hit into a fielder’s choice that allowed Aubrey Huff to score. Two batters after Uribe, it was Ross again with an RBI single that scored Buster Posey for the 3-2 final.

Next up for the Giants? The defending National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies in a best of seven scheduled to begin this Saturday. While the Yankees, Phillies and Giants have advanced, there are two teams left battling for the last spot in the final four as Texas battles the Rays tonight, in Game 5 with lefties David Price and Cliff Lee facing off at 8:07 PM EST.

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By Michael Tapia

The weekend proved to be decisive with the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies advancing to the championship series of their corresponding leagues. In the American League, the Yankees wait for the winner between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Texas Rangers; in the National League, the Philadelphia Phillies wait for the winner between the San Francisco Giants and the Atlanta Braves. For the second consecutive year both Yankees and Phillies advance to the second round of the postseason, but this year these teams will not be facing the Anaheim Angels and the Los Angeles Dodgers respectively.

The weekend served well for the Tampa Bay Rays who were on the brink of elimination until their bats woke up and took the last two games from the Texas Rangers. The Rays were facing elimination since Thursday when they felt behind two games to none in the best of five series. Thanks to exceptional pitching from Matt Garza, Joaquin Benoit and Wade Davis and key offensive contributions from BJ Upton, Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria the Rays have tied the series at two games apiece. In Saturday’s game, Colby Lewis pitched five scoreless innings and left the game with a 1-0 lead.  Unfortunately, for Lewis the Rays rallied on his bullpen and won 6-3. The problems begun in the top of the sixth inning when Lewis walked Longoria, Derek Holland came in relieve for Lewis but gave up a hit and a walk that put runners in scoring position for the Rays. Alexi Ogando came in later in the inning with the bases loaded and gave up a double to BJ Upton that scored Dan Johnson to tie the game 1-1. Later in the game, Carlos Pena and Carl Crawford homered to lift the Rays over the Rangers.

Sunday’s game was not as close as the Rays took the lead first and never looked back.  For the Rays, Pena and Upton once again demonstrated why their bats are so important to Tampa’s lineup. In the bottom of the fourth inning the two hit a pair of rbi doubles to extend the Rays lead to 3-0. The following inning, Evan Longoria hit a home run to left scoring Ben Zobrist to make the score 5-0. The Rangers tried to rally in the top of the sixth inning with a homer from Nelson Cruz and an rbi double from Mitch Moreland, but felt short 5-2. Nelson Cruz has proved to be an important bat for the Rangers hitting three home runs in the series.

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In the other American League Division Series the New York Yankees swept the Minnesota Twins for a second year in a row. Phil Hughes came up big for the Bronx Bombers guaranteeing their birth to the American League Championship Series. Hughes pitched exceptional allowing just one run and four hits in seven innings pitched. Brian Duensing was lit up for five runs courtesy of a Marcus Thames home run and rbi hits from Jorge Posada, Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher and Brett Gardner. For the Twins Orlando Hudson had the only rbi and perhaps this was proof how much Minnesota missed their slugging first baseman Justin Morneau. Now the Yankees move onto the second round where they will have to decide if they expand their rotation to four pitchers and allow struggling AJ Burnett to pitch.

In the National League, the Phillies also swept their way into the second round. The Phillies proved to be the most solid team in this year’s postseason only giving up four runs in three games. The Phillies clinched their birth to the next round thanks to a superb performance from their starter Cole Hamels who pitched a complete game and struck out nine Reds. All the Phillies needed was an error from Orlando Cabrera that scored Placido Polanco and a solo home run from Chase Utley. With the performances that Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels posted you can easily say that this series was over before it even started. Now the Phillies wait between the San Francisco Giants and the Atlanta Braves.

After a miraculous 11^th inning home run from Rick Ankiel, the Braves just like the Rays are facing elimination trailing their series 2-1. Matt Cain pitched 6 2/3 innings only allowing one unearned run but his bullpen did not hold up. The Braves were trailing 4-1 until Sergio Romo stepped on the mound in the top of the eighth and left runners in the corners for Brian Wilson. Wilson and the Giants defense were inefficient after Pablo Sandoval committed an error that allowed Derek Lee to score. Two batters later, Alex Gonzalez doubled to left center scoring Brian McCann and Melky Cabrera. The game progressed uneventful until an unexpected home run by Rick Ankiel in the 11^th inning that gave the Braves a 5-4 victory.

Sunday’s contest was a close game with Jonathan Sanchez and Tim Hudson on the mound. Sanchez pitched a superb game striking out 11 batters and only giving up one run and two hits; his counterpart Tim Hudson, also pitched seven innings gave up one run, but gave up four hits and only struck out five batters. Unfortunately, for the Braves’ three errors were one too many especially after losing by one run (3-2). The Giants opened the score in the top of the second thanks to an error by Brooks Conrad that allowed Mike Fontenot to score (1-0). The game remained 1-0 until the bottom of the eighth inning when Erik Hinske homered with Alex Gonzalez on base and gave the Braves a 2-1 lead. The Giants did not waste any time reclaiming the lead in the top of the ninth inning. Aubrey Huff singled to right scoring Travis Ishikawa and sending Freddy Sanchez to second. One batter later, Brooks Conrad made another error allowing Freddy Sanchez to score the winning run for the 3-2 final.

The Giants and Braves continue their series tonight with their first pitch scheduled for 7:37 PM EST while the Rangers and Rays resume action on Tuesday at 8:07 PM EST.

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He told The San Diego Union-Tribune the cancer was discovered last month and he faces seven to eight weeks of treatment – radiation five times a week and chemotherapy once a week.

“The doctors have told me they feel they caught the cancer early and there was not much of it there,” he said in a story published Saturday.

The parotid cancer was diagnosed after the former Padres star had a third round of surgery since 1997 to remove a tumor on the parotid gland. The previous procedures found no malignancies.

Gwynn is San Diego State’s baseball coach, and the school confirmed Gwynn’s condition to The Associated Press. Gwynn plans to return to his alma mater, which he has coached since 2003.

“They say this is a slow moving but aggressive form of cancer,” Gwynn said. “I’m going to be aggressive and not slow moving in treating this.”

Gwynn said he was concerned the cancer could be linked to his career-long practice of using chewing tobacco.

“I haven’t discussed that with the doctors yet, but I’m thinking it’s related to dipping,” said Gwynn, who resumed the practice of using chewing tobacco after the first two surgeries.

Dr. Kevin Brumund, a neck and throat specialist at the UCSD Moores Cancer Center, told the newspaper there have been no studies linking parotid cancer and chewing tobacco, which is now banned in minor league baseball.

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Police in the Connecticut shoreline town Branford arrested New Haven resident John Mayor on Saturday night. They say he stabbed Nashua, N.H., resident Monte Freire.

From The New Haven Register

A dispute pitting a Boston Red Sox fan from New Hampshire against a New York Yankees fan from New Haven turned ugly at the Chowder Pot III Restaurant Saturday night, landing both men in the hospital and resulting in the Yankees fan’s arrest after he allegedly stabbed the Red Sox fan, police said.

The New Hampshire man and Red Sox fan, Monte Freire, 43, of Nashua, was in critical condition at Yale-New Haven Hospital, where he underwent surgery after initially being treated at the scene by Branford Fire Department paramedics, said police Capt. Geoffrey Morgan.

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Over the last 10 years, much has been written about the declining numbers of African-Americans playing Major League Baseball and collegiate baseball.

African-Americans make up just 9 percent of all of those playing Major League Baseball this year, a far cry from the 27 percent in 1974. The 2010 College World Series featured eight African-American players out of the 269 who participated.

When it comes to African-American players, the future looks no brighter. For example, the U.S. semifinals of the 2010 Little League World Series between Georgia and Hawaii featured only two African-American players, both of whom played for the team from Columbus, Ga.

Although there are programs like Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities and other initiatives designed to reintroduce the sport to African-American kids in place, a combination of poorly kept urban baseball fields the expense of the game, and the popularity of basketball and football are among the reasons why baseball might not be catching on in places like Philadelphia, despite having two MLB MVPs in Phillies Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins in place as potential role models.

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But some are pointing to the single parent household as one of the major factors keeping African-American boys away from baseball. According to data compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly one out of three black households (29 percent) are headed by single mothers, many of whom can’t afford to take their kids to baseball games played in the ultra modern and grossly expensive ball parks. Traditionally, baseball has been a sport that boys learn from their fathers.

Or at least that’s the conventional wisdom. In reality, single moms are grabbing their sons and saying “Take me out to the Ballgame!”, fighting economic, racial and gender barriers at times to keep their kids in the game.

Cheryl A. Mobley-Stimpson, who runs the Facebook site Philly Sports Moms and works as a sports and entertainment consultant and Sarah J. Glover, an award-winning photojournalist with the Philadelphia Daily News, have boys who not only play baseball, but are good at it and have a passion for it. Both have invested the time, money and effort to help their sons in their course of their baseball development on their own without assistance from their children’s fathers.

“I am the exception to the rule and if I can be an exception to the rule, it can happen,” said Mobley-Stimpson, who started her own business as a way to devote more time . “It’s a matter of vision, it’s a matter of dedication and it’s a matter of adapting to a different type of a lifestyle and so I can’t get to all of the parties that I used to get to and when I do get to that small window of opportunity, I am so tired from driving and driving to practices and playoff games.”

Read the entire article at TheGrio.com

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PONCE, Puerto Rico (AP) — Emilio Navarro swivels his hips several times, then bends down to touch his toes.

Not bad for someone who’s 104 years old. He doesn’t need a cane to get about and is known to go out dancing now and then. He doesn’t use glasses, either.

“And I don’t have many wrinkles,” he says in Spanish. He smiles, then allows in English: “Just a little bit.”

But the former professional baseball player isn’t being honored for his spryness. He is being honored as America’s Outstanding Oldest Male Worker for 2010 — Navarro still keeps the books and controls the finances at the game machine business he started.

Navarro, believed to be the last surviving player of the Negro American League, was chosen for the honor over dozens of candidates nominated in 30 U.S. states by Experience Works, the United States’ largest nonprofit training center for older workers.

Navarro, known affectionately as “Millito,” began working at age 12. He cleaned shoes, sold newspapers and hawked “dulce de coco,” a popular coconut treat in Puerto Rico, to help his mother financially.

“She didn’t know how to read or write,” he said.

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He didn’t particularly enjoy those jobs, but eventually his passion — baseball — gave him a living.

At 17, the 5-foot-5 Navarro signed with the Ponce Lions in Puerto Rico and went on to play for the New York Cuban Stars in one of the black leagues in the U.S. He later played in the Dominican Republic and in Venezuela.

Navarro then worked as a coach and athletic teacher at schools in Ponce and Caguas. He also managed a baseball stadium in Ponce for 10 years — the job that proved his least favorite.

“To be in that place and not be able to play …” he said, his voice trailing off. “I didn’t like it.”

Navarro later opened the game machine business, Shuffle Alley, which his sons now run. But Navarro still works, keeping the books in order and making financial decisions.

“My sons work for me now,” he said with a laugh, pretending to rake in cash with his hands. “I count it and I divide it into equal parts. And there’s a little bit for Millito, too.”

Navarro does not have any secrets to staying young. He just follows two rules: Help those who need it and show respect to everyone.

“That is very important,” he said.

One of his sons, Eric Navarro, 61, cleared his throat. “Love God above all things,” he reminded his father with a smile.

“Ah, yes,” the elder Navarro responded.

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As a guilty pleasure, Navarro enjoys a bit of whiskey now and then.

During a recent public appearance, Navarro stood for almost two hours while he posed for pictures with fans. Finally, he sat down exhausted and asked Jose Bibiloni, a coordinator with Experience Works, for a little whiskey.

Bibiloni brought water instead. “Did I ask for this? I didn’t ask for this,” Bibiloni recalled him saying.

Navarro lives alone in the house that he built for his family in the late 1950s. His wife died more than two decades ago at age 62 from breast cancer, and Navarro’s sons sometimes mention the benefits of a nursing home.

“He makes a face and we leave,” Eric Navarro said. “He defends his privacy.”

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Lillian Ruiz cooks for Navarro every day and cleans the house, arriving at 8 a.m. and leaving by 2 p.m.

“He likes to be alone,” she said. “He is very clean. He tidies his room every day.”

Navarro likes to sit on the balcony and sometimes asks Ruiz to bring a couple of $1 bills, which he floats down to a pleading homeless person below.

He also likes to dance and favors blondes if he goes out in search of some danzon, a Cuban dance that incorporates mambo.

Navarro, whose 105th birthday is September 26, got a pacemaker 15 years ago and has had new ones put in at least twice, his son said. He has high blood pressure, yet he doesn’t need glasses and walks easily.

“Dad is an exception,” his son said. “He has stretched the bubble gum.”

Rush Limbaugh eulogized Yankees owner, George Steinbrenner, on his show yesterday. For some reason he decided to make his eulogy race based, claiming that Steinbrenner was a “cracker” who created a lot of “African-American millionaires” and “fired a lot of white guys.”

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From the NY Times:

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Only something so heavy could lighten their burden. Three men gripped a 150-pound headstone around the edges, lugged it 40 feet across the grass and lowered it into the dirt.

“Got it?” the anesthesiologist asked, tilting the slab in gently.

“Yeah. Yeah, over here,” the insurance man said.

They rose from their knees, brushed off their hands and stood back from the grave.

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“Big Bill Gatewood,” the historian said with a sigh.

For almost 50 years, William M. Gatewood lay in obscurity in an unmarked grave here at Memorial Park Cemetery. But that ended Tuesday, when three baseball fans continued their quest to locate every former Negro leagues player without a headstone and do their share to right the wrong.

Gatewood was a star pitcher and manager in the early Negro leagues who is credited with giving James Bell his nickname, Cool Papa, and teaching Satchel Paige his hesitation pitch. Gatewood died in Columbia in 1962 with no one to arrange for a grave marker.

On Tuesday, he became the 19th player for whom the Negro Leagues Grave Marker Project has provided a headstone. The project volunteers track down unmarked graves, raise money for headstones and install them, often with their own hands.

Click here to read more.

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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The 78-year-old man who’s spent much of his life coaching baseball and grooming big league prospects listened intently, slowly shaking his head as the smile on his face gave way to a sad expression.

The number of black players in the majors declined last season, and Billy Reed fears things could get a lot worse before they get better.

“Man,” he said softly, digesting some of the latest numbers. “We’re slipping again.”

In the African-American community, a growing number of kids have lost interest in the game and that has trickled-up to the major leagues.

At the pinnacle of a highly successful career, Reed mentored eventual major leaguers Dwight Gooden, Gary Sheffield, Carl Everett, Floyd Youmans and Vance Lovelace.

RELATED: Baseball Legend Ken Griffey, Jr. Retires

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Reed impacted the lives of numerous others, including Derek Bell, during four decades of involvement in youth baseball, 24 seasons as head coach at Tampa Hillsborough High School and the Belmont Heights Little League program he founded in the 1960s to build a pipeline for players who might wind up under him at then all-black Middleton High.

A year after showing an increase in the number of black players in the majors for the first time since 1995, a study in April by the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports reported the figure dropped from 10.2 percent to 9 percent — based on information on 2009 work force data provided by MLB.

And of the 269 players on rosters at the College World Series, just eight are African-Americans.

Reed and former major league pitcher Derek Aucoin have some ideas about what can be done to rekindle interest in baseball at a time when most of the best young black athletes are focusing on trying to become instant millionaires in professional football or basketball.

“They see guys like LeBron James. ‘Man, he went from high school to pro.’ They look at him and think, ‘I can do the same thing.’ Except they don’t have the same talent,” Reed said.

“We think short-term too much, what can I get now. I tell youngsters all the time: ‘Some guys are on the bench in baseball making $1 million. NBA teams draft two players, only one guaranteed big money. When are they going to draft you?’ In baseball, they’ve got 50 rounds. If you can walk straight, you can get drafted.”

Lack of parental support and tight family finances are often cited as part of the problem, too. Equipment and league registration fees can be costly, and some kids are discouraged from playing by parents who either lack the time or means to transport them across town — or in some cases to the suburbs — for practice and games.

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That wasn’t the case between 1975 and 1981, when Belmont Heights appeared — and lost — in the Little League World Series championship game three times.

“We had a waiting list for players,” Reed said. “Most of our kids lived in the same area, could walk to the park. Registration was $2 because we knew our parents couldn’t pay the big fees. We depended on sponsors for bats and uniforms. Parents have to do all that themselves now. In this economy, it’s not happening.”

And it seems the African-American families that are able to afford to shell out hundreds of dollars for their kids to participate in expensive leagues are spending on something other than baseball, such as AAU basketball.

Aucoin, who pitched for the Expos in 1996, is acutely aware of the problem of diversity in youth baseball.

There haven’t been many black kids in his programs.

For 10 years, he has run The Baseball Center, a facility in New York City where some major leaguers have worked out in batting cages, and operated leagues and teams for boys and girls from 4 to 15 years old.

Aucoin started on a field in East Harlem and estimates 10,000 kids have come through his programs and facility.

There have been times when he’s seen a kid and a mom on the subway with a glove and invited them to join his program, at no cost. He’s also conducted youth events with Derek Jeter’s Turn 2 Foundation and the Players Trust, the charitable arm of the MLB players’ union.

“The problem, I believe, is Major League Baseball has to get involved at a younger level,” he said. “Baseball requires much higher mentoring than the two other sports (football/basketball) that compete for elite athletes.”

Aucoin, a hard-throwing right-hander born outside Montreal, was the only French-Canadian player drafted by the Expos who eventually played in the majors for them.

MLB has initiatives such as the RBI program and baseball academies. But to attract more black kids and keep them interested, they said, it takes a full-time commitment — more than just providing equipment and fields.

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Getting current major league stars such as CC Sabathia, Curtis Granderson, Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins to participate is key, too.

“I’ve talked to some of these guys, they’ll do it,” Aucoin said. “I was one of those kids. At 10 years old, I was a direct product of shaking hands with Andre Dawson.”

Reed recalled skipping school as a youngster to go watch the Cincinnati Reds in spring training. He said players have the realize that as big leaguers they can make a difference by simply being accessible to kids who otherwise wouldn’t have an opportunity to meet them.

“You can’t make one appearance in five years and feel like I made my appearance. I think what they should do is bring groups of kids to games, sponsor them and let them see you play. After the game, talk to them. Tell them: ‘One day you could be like me out here playing.’”

Aucoin said the common excuses for why it’s so tough in the inner city to attract kids are not impossible to overcome.

He noted it’s important to make the game fun, to keep the kids involved on every pitch so they don’t see the game as boring.

In Aucoin’s leagues for young kids, he has coaches pitch, so hitters don’t have to wait long periods of see one over the plate. And, he has parents stand in the field with their kids, offering support and encouragement.

Reed feels parents should be more aggressive in steering their kids toward baseball.

“You’ve got to encourage them and you’ve got to keep on them. You can’t take no for an answer and just stop. Put him in the program and let him learn. He may be better than anybody out there, but never really had a chance to show his talent,” Reed said.

“Major League Baseball is trying to do something” about diversity,” he added. “But they’re going to need help from the people that they’re helping. They can’t do everything.”

The 40-year-old Griffey told the Mariners that he was finished playing, and manager Don Wakamatsu made the announcement before Seattle faced Minnesota.

“While I feel I am still able to make a contribution on the field and nobody in the Mariners front office has asked me to retire, I told the Mariners when I met with them prior to the 2009 season and was invited back that I will never allow myself to become a distraction,” Griffey said in a statement.

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“I feel that without enough occasional starts to be sharper coming off the bench, my continued presence as a player would be an unfair distraction to my teammates and their success as a team is what the ultimate goal should be,” he said.

Griffey was hitting only .184 with no homers and seven RBIs this year and recently went a week without playing. There was a report earlier this season — which Griffey denied — that he’d fallen asleep in the clubhouse during a game.

Griffey was a perennial All-Star outfielder and ranks fifth on the career home run list with 630. He won a most valuable player award and was a Gold Glove winner. The only thing missing on his resume was a trip to the World Series.

He played 22 years in the majors with Seattle, his hometown Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago White Sox. He hit .284 lifetime with 1,836 RBIs.

For a time in the 1990s, he was considered the best player in baseball. But then injuries began to take their toll and his production started to decline.

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DETROIT (AP) — What could be better than New York’s own Jay-Z playing the first concert at the new Yankee Stadium?

How about fellow rap superstar Eminem alongside him?

The two titans of the hip-hop world attended Wednesday night’s New York-Detroit game at Comerica Park to announce they’d be playing at the Yankees’ ballpark on Sept. 13.

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Eleven days earlier, though, Jay-Z will be back in the Motor City to play with Eminem at the latter’s hometown ballpark, Comerica.

They made the announcement during appearances on several television broadcasts of Wednesday night’s game.

Jay-Z, whose recent New York-centric anthem, “Empire State of Mind,” was a a big hit, performed the song before Game 2 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium.

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