Knuckle Curve - Baseball News

May 17th, 2008

Jason Giambi Wears a Golden Thong

New York Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi recently admitted to wearing a thong. Not just any thong - a golden thong.

Giambi says that he wears the golden thong to help him when he’s slumping at the plate. He also indicated that some of his current and former teammates also put on the golden thong to help bust slumps.

Recently, the Chicago White Sox got criticized for their slump busting technique. You see, the White Sox used blowup dolls as slump busters and some members of the media apparently got offended.

Seeing that Giambi is hitting .181 on the season, there’s a good chance he’s wearing that golden thong - a lot. Perhaps even on a daily basis. That is not a good mental picture.

File this one under TMI.

Please tell me this isn’t Jason Giambi wearing his thong.

Photo: Newscom

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By Stephen Kersey -- 0 comments

May 17th, 2008

Is Josh Hamilton the Best Hitter in Baseball?

Josh Hamilton has quickly gone from feel-good story to flat out stud. The Texas Rangers star outfielder might not be the best hitter in baseball but he’s no doubt the hottest hitter in the game. On Friday, Hamilton once again proved how hot he is by going for five hits in five at bats against the Houston Astros.

Of those five hits, two of the hits were for homeruns. He also piled up four runs, five RBIs and a triple as the Rangers beat the Astros 16-8. Texas has now won seven of their last nine games with Hamilton leading the way.

On the season, Hamilton is now hitting .314 with ten homers, 49 RBIs, 26 runs scored, 13 doubles and three triples. He’s leading all of baseball in RBIs and is tied for the AL lead in homers.

The Rangers acquired Hamilton in an offseason deal which sent Edinson Volquez to the Cincinnati Reds. Although the Reds could obviously use Hamilton’s bat, they have to be ecstatic with the production they’ve received from Volquez. The pitcher out of the Dominican Republic is 6-1 and has an ERA of 1.12. Volquez’s ERA easily is the best in the NL.

Josh Hamilton has to cool off eventually – right?

Photo: Newscom

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By Stephen Kersey -- 0 comments

May 16th, 2008

Billy Wagner Criticizes Teammates - Again

Billy Wagner of the New York Mets, who never seems opposed to flapping his gums to the media, once again was criticized teammates after a game. Earlier this season, Wagner criticized Oliver Perez. On Thursday, Wagner criticized teammates who didn’t make themselves available to the media.

While Wagner didn’t name any names, he reportedly pointed in the direction where the lockers of Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado and Luis Castillo are located. Although those players all are Hispanic, Wagner denied his criticism being directed toward any one race.

Apparently, Wagner wants everyone to talk to the media like he does. After Wagner’s comments about Perez, Mets manager Willie Randolph told Wagner to stop criticizing teammates through the media. Obviously, Wagner didn’t listen.

Perhaps now Wagner will criticize himself through the media. It’d only be fair.

Billy Wagner Talking to the Media, Per Usual.

Photo: Newscom

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May 16th, 2008

Manny Ramirez Catch, High Five, Double Play

You gotta check out this video! Manny Ramirez makes a nice catch in the outfield, runs up the wall, high fives a Red Sox fan and then finishes off a double play. Watch the Manny Ramirez video below:

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May 15th, 2008

New York Yankees in Last Place - Solutions?

The Tampa Bay Rays beat the New York Yankees on Thursday to send the Yankees into last place. The Rays won the game 5-2 behind a strong pitching performance from Scott Kazmir and a two-run homerun by backup catcher Shawn Riggans.

The Yankees are now 20-22 and in last place in the AL East. The Rays, with a record of 24-17, are in first place.

How can the Yankees turn save their season?

1. Get Healthy
The Yankees are dealing with a number of injuries at the moment. Most prominently, the team is without Hall of Fame third baseman Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez has a strained quadriceps that has kept him out of the lineup for the entire month of May. In that time, Rodriguez has only been seen choking in the delivery room. Besides Rodriguez, veteran catcher Jorge Posada and young starter Phil Hughes are also battling injuries. Posada has a shoulder injury, while Hughes has a broken rib.

2. Get Hitting
The Bronx Bombers are more like the Bronx Bunters this year. No player on the team is having that great of a season at the plate. Jason Giambi leads the team with seven homeruns – but he also has a batting average of .184. Veterans like Bobby Abreu and Derek Jeter are having decent but not great seasons. Young players like Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera haven’t lived up to their potential. The Yankees need a hot bat to emerge.

3. Get Pitching Depth
Chien-Ming Wang has been very good for the Yankees this year. Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte have had their ups and downs but overall they have been good enough. The problem is the rest of the rotation is in shambles. The Yankees were hoping that Hughes and Ian Kennedy could be the other two starts, but Hughes is hurt and Kennedy has been ineffective. Whether it’s a trade or a young pitcher stepping up, the Yankees need a more balanced rotation.

4. Get Torre?
While the Yankees are struggling, Joe Torre has the Los Angeles Dodgers at 21-19. Could the Yankees be showing signs of missing Torre? Perhaps. George Steinbrenner and his twin son Hank Steinbrenner won’t give current manager Joe Girardi as much leeway as they gave Torre. If the Yankees don’t turn it around ASAP, Girardi might be sent packing.

Does Joe Girardi Hear Joe Torre’s Footsteps?

Photo: Newscom

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May 14th, 2008

Pedro Martinez Injury Update

Recovering from a hamstring injury, Pedro Martinez pitched four innings in a simulated game on Wednesday, Martinez, who ended up throwing about 60 pitches, hurt his hamstring in his first start of the 2008 season.

While the New York Mets haven’t put an exact timetable on when Martinez could return to the big league roster, his prognosis sounds more positive than it did a few weeks ago. It’s no possible that Martinez could return by the beginning of June.

Last season, Martinez battled injuries almost the entire year. He finished his 2007 campaign with a 3-1 record and a 2.57 ERA. The three-time Cy Young Award winner hasn’t been able to pitch 200 innings since the 2005 season.

The Mets could use the presence of Martinez in their starting rotation. The team sits at 20-18 and has lost six of their 11 games. The most noise the Mets’ pitchers made this year was when Billy Wagner called out Oliver Perez.

Photo: Newscom

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May 14th, 2008

Chicago Cubs Sign Jim Edmonds

Jim Edmonds, who was released by the San Diego Padres less than a week ago, has already found a new job. Edmonds was signed by the Chicago Cubs and will be a backup outfielder. Felix Pie was optioned to the minors to make enough room on the roster for Edmonds.

Edmonds, who is 37-years-old, struggled this season with the Padres. He hit just .178 with one homerun and six RBIs. In Chicago, the Cubs will hope that Edmonds will bounce back in what could potentially be Edmonds’ last chance to prove that he’s still capable of playing in the major leagues.

Reed Johnson will remain as the starting center fielder, however the team has indicated that Edmonds will get an opportunity to show what he can do. Johnson is currently hitting .256 with one homerun and 17 RBIs.

Pie, a 23-year-old super prospect, has yet to live up to his vast potential. While there has been a few rumors involving Pie being traded, the Cubs have denied those rumors.

Photo: Newscom

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May 14th, 2008

Cleveland Indians Starting Pitchers Scoreless Streak

The Cleveland Indians starting pitchers are blazing. The Indians starting pitchers have now pitched 43 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings. The pitchers responsible for this streak are CC Sabathia, Aaron Laffey, Fausto Carmona, Cliff Lee and Paul Byrd.

CC Sabathia was struggling earlier in the season, but he has turned it around. He started the streak and he’s the one who pushed it to 43 1/3 on Wednesday. After starting the season off horribly, CC Sabathia now has a 5.47 ERA and has only allowed one run in his last 16 innings.

Here is a video regarding the Cleveland Indians and the scoreless streak by their starting pitchers:

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May 12th, 2008

Kirk Gibson Homerun - Becoming a Fan

The bloggers for the b5media sports channel were asked to write a blog entry about a childhood sports memory. For me, when I think of childhood sports memories, there’s really only one that stands out.

I really started following baseball in the 1988 season. Both of my parents are Los Angeles Dodgers fans after growing up in Los Angeles. They’d watch Dodgers games here and there and I’d join them on the coach. I really didn’t understand much at first but I asked a lot of questions, and by the end of the year I had a pretty good understanding of what was happening.

Fast forward to the first game of the World Series between the Dodgers and the Oakland Athletics. The big, strong and powerful A’s were supposed to destroy the pesky Dodgers, who most people said lucked out even making it to the World Series.

(As an interesting side-story, I remember asking my dad about why Jose Canseco always twitches when he’s on the plate. My dad told me it was because he was on steroids. If it was that obvious then, why’d it take so long to unravel that mystery? Then again, that’s probably a memory for a different day.)

With the Dodgers down by a run, I remember thinking it was over when Dennis Eckersley entered the game. They flashed his stats and I had advanced far enough in my baseball knowledge to know that chances were slim that the Dodgers could make a comeback.

With two outs and a runner of first base, I remember Kirk Gibson limping to the batter’s box. He worked the count full. Each swing he took seemed to take years off of his life. Then it happened. The homerun. The Kirk Gibson homerun.

I remember celebrating around the house. I couldn’t believe what I just saw. The Dodgers were the winners of the World Series!!! Or so I thought at the time. My parents then explained that was only the first game of the World Series. Only the first game?

Since that time, I’ve been hooked.

10 minutes of unedited Kirk Gibson homerun video:

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May 12th, 2008

Injury Update - New York Yankees

Alex Rodriguez
Suffering from a strained quadriceps, Alex Rodriguez has begun has rehab. Rodriguez, who hasn’t played a game in May, is currently rehabbing in Tampa, Florida. He’s taking batting practice, fielding grounders and doing a little bit of running. Rodriguez isn’t expected back this week but could be back the following week.

Jorge Posada
Jorge Posada, the veteran catcher for the Yankees, is battling a shoulder injury. It’s been determined that Posada won’t need season-ending surgery. He has begun throwing a baseball again. Once he’s comfortable throwing the ball, he’ll return to the lineup.

Phil Hughes
After suffering a broken rib, Phil Hughes is out until July. Hughes, who was supposed to be a young yet vital piece of the Yankees starting rotation, struggled before breaking his rib. He might be out longer depending on how long it takes his rib to fully heal.

Jorge Posada and Alex Rodriguez.

Photo: Newscom

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