Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane said Wednesday that he would not have vetoed any deal that sent former ace Roy Oswalt to the Cardinals because of the teams sharing the same division. The talks just never got to that point, he said. “That was not a roadblock,” McLane said. “I think (trading within the division) used to be something you avoided. That’s not how I viewed it this time. We had discussions with the Cardinals, and it just did not work — it did not work for either team. It just never really materialized. They talked two or three times, and it never got close to being a deal.” McLane acknowledged that Oswalt was “excited about the potential of being with the Cardinals” and that he expressed that wish to Houston ownership. McLane said the players offered by the Cardinals, who included at least one major-league player, did not cause negotiations to falter. — St. Louis Post-Dispatch
There are no guarantees on whether the Cubs will be able to afford to shop in the Adam Dunn section of the free-agent market. And the Ted Lilly section might not even be available if the Dodgers’ efforts to re-sign the former Cubs lefty are as serious as reports suggest.
Montro, barber to sports stars, has texted to say he will be doing Manny Ramirez’s hair in Boston either on Thursday or Friday. Ramirez’s dreadlocks have already become an issue in Chicago, where team owner Jerry Reinsdorf has a policy on the length of hair. — Boston Globe
Angels GM Tony Reagins wasn’t kidding when he said the player to be named in Friday’s trade of closer Brian Fuentes to the Minnesota Twins would be a “prospect with upside.” The deal was completed Wednesday with the Angels acquiring pitcher Loek Van Mil, a 7-foot-1 right-hander who is the tallest player in professional baseball. Van Mil, 25, went 1-2 with a 6.37 earned run average in 23 relief appearances double-A New Britain after beginning the season at Class-A Fort Myers, where he was 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in three outings. The Netherlands native, who will report to the Angels’ double-A team at Arkansas, has been known to hit 94-95 mph with his fastball, but his secondary pitches need work, and he has had some elbow problems. — LA Times
Five regular-season months into his first coaching job at any level, Mark McGwire described Wednesday how he’s had a steep learning curve, how there have been plenty of frustrations, and how the coaching bug has bit him, bad. “I know one thing after this, I would really love to be a hitting coach for many, many years,” the former home run king said. “We’ll talk about it when the season is over with and evaluate it then. But I have really enjoyed it. It’s been a great learning experience for me. I’ve had a lot of sleepless nights. I’ve had a lot of great nights.” McGwire is on a one-year contract with the Cardinals, and any decisions about the club’s coaches will come this offseason, probably after manager Tony La Russa has deliberated on his own return. At the time of his hiring, La Russa and the club acknowledged that it was a mutual experiment — that McGwire wanted to start a second baseball career as a coach and La Russa wanted to give him that opportunity. — St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Kid Rock’s red-white-and-blue résumé is about to get a baseball entry. The rousing, patriotic “Born Free,” the title track from the Detroit rocker’s upcoming album, has been enlisted by TBS as the official marketing theme for the network’s Major League Baseball postseason coverage. Turner Sports has created a 2 1/2 -minute video for the song, which intersperses baseball footage and scenes from Rock’s recent concerts at DTE Energy Music Theatre. That full-length video will debut Friday on National CineMedia’s 14,600 movie screens, including Star and Cinemark theaters in metro Detroit. Clips from the video will be repurposed for commercial spots across the Turner networks, including TNT and CNN. The song will be integrated into the game presentations on TBS, which will air the playoffs starting Oct. 6. “Born Free” was “the perfect track” for a baseball campaign, a Turner Sports executive said in a statement. — Detroit Free Press
The Dodgers generated $72 million in operating revenue last year but had a net profit of $8.4 million, largely because of $28 million in debt service and $34 million in revenue-sharing payments. Baseball requires the teams that generate the most money help support the ones that generate the least.
Rays manager Joe Maddon will receive an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Lafayette College today in an on-campus ceremony; he plans to wear his BRayser and allow the school to auction it off. — St. Petersburg Times
The Nats announced on Wednesday that Rob Dibble was permanently leaving the MASN booth. Dibble opened his SIRIUS XM show on MLB Network Radio Thursday morning by reading a prepared statement. It lasted about 25 seconds. Here it is:
“As you may know, I made some statements last week about Stephen Strasburg, and have been called controversial and angered many. In my role as analyst for the Nationals, and [with] the benefit of 20-20 hindsight, I now realize that my comments were inappropriate and disrespectful. I have regret that my time with the team will have to end this way, but have learned from the mistake and look forward to putting it behind me.”
Source: Washington Post
If Frank McCourt retains control, the Dodgers could get an immediate cash infusion from Fox Sports. The Dodgers’ television contract with Fox expires in 2013, and McCourt has considered launching a team-run cable channel, similar to the highly profitable channels run by the New York Yankees (YES) and Boston Red Sox ( NESN). However, McCourt has discussed a long-term extension with Fox, in which he would abandon the plan for a Dodgers channel in exchange for a front-loaded deal that could significantly increase the Dodgers’ annual revenue from television rights, according to three sources briefed on the discussions but not authorized to talk publicly about them. The deal could be structured so McCourt could cash in without waiting until 2014. — LA Times
Bob Feller, 91, watched Wednesday’s game from his seat in the press box. He is being treated for leukemia and had his most recent checkup three days ago. “I don’t need any more blood right now, and the white cells are holding their own,” he said. “So far, so good. I feel good enough to play with my tractors in the barn.” Feller, who lives in Gates Mills, will continue outpatient treatments at Cleveland Clinic before another evaluation in mid-September. “I’ve been very humbled by the support and well-wishes,” he said. “I’ve received calls and letters from all across the country. They are very much appreciated.” — Cleveland Plain Dealer
Barring a miraculous finish for the ages, Mets manager Jerry Manuel is expected to be replaced from a pool that includes Wally Backman, Bob Melvin and Terry Collins. Don’t expect former Mets manager Bobby Valentine to become a candidate. — NY Post
Justin James’ season began with the independent league Kansas City T-Bones, where the schedule took him everywhere from Fargo, N.D., to Winnipeg, Manitoba. Now he’s at Yankee Stadium. That’s where James, a right-handed reliever, joined the A’s after getting promoted from Triple-A Sacramento on Wednesday along with reliever Ross Wolf. His first major league call-up came 12 days shy of his 29th birthday. “It’s really unbelievable,” James said before the A’s 4-3 loss to the Yankees. “I didn’t expect that this would happen this year, coming from independent ball. I’m as happy as I’ve ever been.” A fifth-round pick by Toronto in 2003, James was dealt to Cincinnati after the 2007 season. After an arm injury sidelined him for most of 2008, he was released during spring training 2009. He latched on with the T-Bones — the closest independent league team to his home in Yukon, Okla. “It was a battle being there knowing you’re on the bottom end,” James said. “You’re not in organizational ball, but I think it kind of makes you work a little bit harder.” The A’s signed him to a minor league contract June 19, and between Double-A Midland and Sacramento, James had a 1.83 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 391/3 innings. — Oakland Tribune
An outcry from fans and a favorable financial package have led the Cardinals to reverse their highly controversial decision made five years ago to switch their radio home.
Cardinals officials announced Wednesday that the club’s broadcasts will move back to KMOX (1120 AM) next season. The club had rocked much of its fan base in 2005 by leaving its home of 51 seasons in favor of KTRS (550 AM) by purchasing a 50 percent — and controlling — interest in KTRS. That move was met with discontent from Cardinals fans outside the reach of the team’s radio network who were denied free access to the broadcasts they had been receiving on KMOX, whose signal reaches far and wide at night. Even some listeners in the St. Louis area complained of having trouble picking up KTRS. Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III said “fans’ sentiments and feedback” were important factors in the decision. He said other items that came into play included financial considerations and cross-promotion opportunities with CBS radio’s other local stations. DeWitt said the Cardinals were open to selling their share of KTRS, which they bought for the bargain-basement price of $2 million. — St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Felix Doubront was not a player atop most prospect lists entering this season, when he started at Double-A Portland. But he has been probably the most important of the many rookies Boston has used this year, solidifying Boston’s lefty relief in the absence of an effective Hideki Okajima. Until this summer, Doubront was a starting pitcher, with few avenues to major league time in Boston’s jam-packed major-league staff. Since his conversion to relief, he has shown poise and the ability to set down batters hitting from both sides of the plate. Sox brass have said privately that they will talk this winter over the best long-term approach with Doubront, evaluating the organization’s needs and the pitcher’s development, in determining whether he should stay as a reliever or return to starting. Tuesday, GM Theo Epstein publicly acknowledged that next year, at least, the Venezuelan lefty might remain a reliever. — Providence Journal
Charlie Morton is 1-10 with a 10.03 ERA. Since earned runs became an official stat in 1912, the only other Pirates pitcher with an ERA of 7.00-plus in a season in which he had 10 decisions was Steve Blass, who in 1973 went 3-9 with a 9.81 ERA. — Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Since buying the Dodgers for $430 million six years ago, Frank McCourt has so heavily leveraged the team — $433 million in debt as of last year — that he has struggled to find additional financing. The debt load has limited how the Dodgers can pay their players and could affect the team’s ability to sign talent. McCourt was turned down at least three times — by Citibank, by a Chinese investment group and by a Southern California infomercial king — in trying to secure additional financing last year, according to documents filed in the divorce case between him and his estranged wife, Jamie. In a deposition, Dodgers Chief Financial Officer Peter Wilhelm said Citibank declined even to engage in serious negotiations. “They did not feel that the Dodger organization had the capacity to take on more debt,” Wilhelm said. — LA Times
The season became an unexpected journey for right-hander Jeremy Jeffress. The Milwaukee Brewers’ 2006 first-round draft pick missed the first two months while finishing a 100-game suspension for testing positive a third time for marijuana. He then was assigned to low Class A Wisconsin, moving up to high Class A Brevard County and eventually Class AA Huntsville. Then the big leagues. “I’m on cloud nine right now,” Jeffress said Wednesday after reporting to the Brewers as a September call-up. “It was a hope and prayer (to come up). It’s a great opportunity. I couldn’t even stand up when I first heard it. “It was big steps, back on the mound, coming off the suspension. A great learning experience. I’ve been to the bottom and I worked my way back to the top. I thank everybody that stuck behind me.” The Brewers put Jeffress, 22, on their 40-man roster June 29, some two months before necessary. They called it a reward for good behavior coming off the suspension, but it also protected him from a lifetime ban should he test positive for marijuana again. — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Pirates president Frank Coonelly, in his monthly Web chat, took a question from a reader asking how it feels “to be president of the losingest team in baseball” and how he planned to change that. Coonelly’s reply: “Given that we have many young readers of this chat, I will keep my answer G-rated: It stinks. It’s embarrassing, painful and incredibly aggravating. I never expected us to sit with just 44 wins on Sept. 1, 2010. We have more talent than that, and I expect us to play much better during this final month. While the losing has been painful from a personal perspective, what hurts the most is to see the pain and disappointment on the faces of our great fans who rightly expected much more from us. The losing is unacceptable and will change.” — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Yankees were awarded a waiver claim Tuesday on Los Angeles lefty Ted Lilly, according to a baseball source, but the Dodgers so far are unwilling to trade the pitcher because they don’t believe they are out of the playoff race yet. While L.A. GM Ned Colletti has been telling his baseball brethren that he believes the Dodgers are still wild-card contenders, the Bombers will continue to push to make a deal for Lilly, a Yankee source said, because they believe Los Angeles. might re-consider. Even though the deal could happen Wednesday or later, the Yankees believe there is a loophole that because they were awarded the claim before the first of the month, they could use Lilly on their postseason roster. — NY Daily News
Don’t be surprised if former Florida Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez winds up a leading candidate to replace Lou Piniella within the next few weeks. Sources say that Gonzalez is at the top of general manager Jim Hendry’s wish list in the early stages of the process and that he prefers a manager with major-league experience — with Class AAA manager Ryne Sandberg considered the strongest, if not only, serious candidate without that. — Chicago Sun-Times
Derek Jeter may be the ultimate team guy, but two former teammates believe that when it comes to getting paid, his pride will demand that he get something approaching A-Rod money, regardless of what he hits this season. “It’s up to (the Yankees),” one former player said. “Knowing Jeet, he’s not going to let an off-year, if it turns out to be an off-year, play a role in what he thinks he should get paid. He just doesn’t think like that. He’ll be more convinced than ever that he’ll come back and hit .330 next year.” The second former teammate essentially agreed. “The question is whether (Brian) Cashman and the others think this is the start of a decline,” he said. “And if so, are they going to factor it into the negotiations or just pay him for being the face of the franchise all these years? Knowing Derek, he’ll say all the right things, but he won’t give an inch based on his numbers this season.” Obviously the Yankees won’t want to go to war with Jeter, knowing it likely would be a PR nightmare. — NY Daily News
Now the question is which young A’s players they might try to lock up next. There are some strong candidates, particularly in a starting rotation. Trevor Cahill, 22, might head the list based on his development into an AL All-Star in just his second season — Monday’s disastrous start against the New York Yankees notwithstanding. But fellow starter Gio Gonzalez, 24, has made major strides in his first full season, and two-time All-Star closer Andrew Bailey, 26, could be right behind him as players who merit consideration. “You sort of take them one at a time,” general manager Billy Beane said, without mentioning specific players the A’s would consider. ” “… There are some young players here who are going to be in the big leagues a long time. To keep things going, we’ll have to consider (signing them long-term) for cost-control reasons.” — Oakland Tribune
Manny Ramirez has yet to cut off the dreadlocks emblematic of the slugger’s persona. Ramirez arrived Tuesday with his trademark dreadlocks intact in an apparent violation of White Sox rules that were enforced in 2006 regarding length of hair. But Ramirez didn’t express any sense of urgency to cut his hair, quickly replying, “I’m just worried about playing baseball.” Manager Ozzie Guillen added the issue of Ramirez’s hair length was “Jerry’s problem,” referring to Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. And Guillen wasn’t sure if Ramirez would cut his hair. “I say that’s not in my rules,” Guillen said. – Chicago Tribune
MLB’s Bob Watson was carrying around some photos on his cell phone earlier this year after Reds pitcher Aroldis Chapman pitched in a Triple-A game. The grass in front of the mound was chopped and chewed, looking as if somebody took a pick-axe to the grass. “That’s from Chapman’s stride,” said Watson. “He lands so far in front of mound he digs up the grass. We’re going to have to watch this, maybe make the dirt area in front of mound bigger.” — Dayton Daily News
The Marlins made a three-year offer to Ricky Nolasco, who is not eligible for free agency until after 2012, but the sides are about $10 million apart. But remember, the Marlins had a bigger gap with Josh Johnson before striking a deal. — Miami Herald
Michael Weiner , MLBPA executive director, told Newsday that Francisco Rodriguez ‘s grievance hearing is likely to be scheduled for mid-October. Rodriguez is contesting the Mets’ attempt to make the remainder of his three-year, $37-million contract, which runs through 2011, non-guaranteed after K-Rod needed season-ending surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb. The Mets say that Rodriguez injured his thumb in an alleged criminal assault on the father of his girlfriend. — Newsday
The Rays made room to add Brad Hawpe to their 40-man roster by shifting LHP J.P. Howell from the 15-day to the 60-day DL, and room to put Hawpe on their playoff-eligible roster by optioning RHP Andy Sonnanstine to Class A Hudson Valley. Sonnanstine is being sent to Hudson Valley so he can be brought back more quickly. A player doesn’t have to stay down for 10 days if the team’s season ends, and the Renegades’ last game is Sunday. — St. Petersburg Times
While Clemens, 48, enjoyed cloudless Carolina skies and pristine, manicured fairways, his lawyers were probably poring over the massive number of documents prosecutors turned over in U.S. District Court in Washington on Monday – the beginning stages of the former Yankee’s perjury and obstruction of Congress case. Clemens pleaded not guilty to six counts in what is sure to be a lengthy, complicated legal process for the seven-time Cy Young Award winner. Just for starters, prosectors handed Clemens’ lead attorney, Rusty Hardin, a 34-page master index to evidence on 12 computer discs. In the hearing before Judge Reggie Walton, Hardin referred to “voluminous” scientific evidence he will need to test. According to one defense attorney familiar with such cases, Clemens’ lawyers will be buried in documents for the foreseeable future. “When you get the discovery in a federal case, it can be overwhelming,” the lawyer said. “The discs can contain thousand of pages of material. As you’re going through it, you’ll come across things you’ve forgotten about, where the defendant literally says, ‘Oh s—. I forgot about that.’ You can spend three months on meaningless stuff, but you have to go through it all. And the government can keep investigating.” — NY Daily News
Dodgers skipper Joe Torre said he isn’t ready to announce whether he will manage again next season. But he said that if he decides to return, negotiating a new contract shouldn’t be an issue. Of how much he would be paid, Torre said, “I thought we had an understanding” when he broke off extension talks during spring training. — LA Times
Throughout this Pirates road trip, Lastings Milledge has struggled in the outfield, taking long routes to balls and failing to make catches. Manager John Russell said Milledge has been slow to adjust after being switched from left to right field. “He doesn’t see the ball as well (in right),” Russell said. “The angle, the view off the bat is different. It’s a matter of getting his first step a little bit better. Milledge’s woes are bit unusual, Russell said, because it usually tougher for a player to go from right to left. “But I have seen it when a guy just gets comfortable on one side and it’s hard to switch.” — Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Rafael Furcal could be back in the lineup when the Dodgers open a crucial three-game series against the San Francisco Giants on Friday. Furcal is scheduled to go on a two-game minor league rehabilitation assignment with the Dodgers’ triple-A affiliate in Albuquerque, which will start Wednesday. Sidelined since Aug. 3 with a lower back strain, the shortstop spent last week rehabilitating at the Dodgers’ spring-training complex in Arizona. He has worked out at Dodger Stadium over the last couple of days and reported feeling better. “Everything feels good,” Furcal said. “Totally better than before. Right now, I feel good.” — LA Times
Aroldis Chapman and his $30.25 million left arm blazed into Cincinnati in full 103-mph glory Tuesday night, in a major league debut that had Great American Ball Park going fully gaga. Cameras flashed throughout the stadium as Chapman entered the game in the eighth inning, and Chapman unleashed several lasers that topped 100 mph. The Cuban left-hander topped out at 102 mph on the ballpark video board in his major league debut, and 103 mph as listed online by the MLB.com game tracker. … Fellow pitcher Bronson Arroyo, when asked what is the upper limit to what a human can throw, replied: “105. We’ve got the Usain Bolt of baseball.” – Cincinnati Enquirer
The Red Sox released outfielder Jeremy Hermida. The team decided it would not promote Hermida to the big leagues after rosters expand today. The Sox acquired him last offseason from the Marlins for Jose Alvarez and Hunter Jones. Hermida hit .203 in 52 games this season with five home runs and 27 RBIs. His season was interrupted because of broken ribs sustained in a collision with Adrian Beltre. — Boston Globe
Yankees manager Joe Girardi wouldn’t come right out and say it, but it seems as if A.J. Burnett will not be pitching for his rotation spot when he faces the Athletics Wednesday night. Burnett was brutal in August (0-4, 7.80) and Javier Vazquez made a case to rejoin the rotation with 42/3 excellent innings in relief of Dustin Moseley on Monday. Girardi , however, said his rotation at the moment is status quo. “We haven’t made any changes,” he said. “Right now, we’re on schedule. We haven’t really talked about it. Javy has thrown the ball extremely well his last two outings. There’s no hiding that fact.” Just as there’s no hiding how bad Burnett has been. — Newsday
Brandon Wood will play his Arizona Fall League ball for the Mesa Solar Sox, whose season runs from Oct. 12 to Nov. 20. The infielder will be joined on the team by five Angels prospects, pitchers Ryan Brasier, Robert Fish, Stephen Geltz and Eddie McKiernan and infielder Andrew Romine. — LA Times
