Other Articles in this Category
Most Viewed Stories
Most Commented Stories
Most Recommended Stories
Save & Share this Article
Baseball Capsules: Clemens reportedly moves to have McNamee suit tossed
Comments 0 | Recommend 0NEW YORK — Lawyers for Roger Clemens filed a motion in Brooklyn federal court to dismiss a defamation lawsuit by the pitcher's former trainer, claiming statements that accused Brian McNamee of trying to shake down Clemens were not serious.
Joe Roden, one of the attorneys representing Clemens, said the seven-time Cy Young award winner, lawyer Rusty Hardin and others were not serious when they questioned McNamee's mental state and accused him of manufacturing evidence, the New York Daily News reported Thursday.
"They are part of the public battle of words between the two camps, and in no way suggest to the average reader that McNamee is actually mentally unfit," wrote Roden, a lawyer with Hardin's firm.
The evidence referred to are used syringes and bloody gauze pads McNamee turned over to federal authorities. McNamee has said he injected Clemens with steroids and HGH over a period of several years, a claim the former pitcher has vehemently denied.
"Clemens never used steroids or HGH," Roden said. "Refuting false evidence is not defamation."
McNamee's attorney, Richard Emery, countered with a motion opposing a dismissal and said Clemens and his representatives have to take responsibility for their statements.
"There is no question that the statements from Clemens and his lawyer and spokesmen are a serious and nasty attack on Brian, accusing him of being a criminal and mentally unstable," Emery said. "That is part of the defamation here."
League News
GMs head out to work on offseason trades
CHICAGO — General managers grabbed their bags, caught a quick lunch and headed down the corridor a short distance to their flights Wednesday after their annual meeting ended in a hotel at O'Hare International Airport.
No trades were announced during the three-day session.
"It's the same thing every year at this time of year," White Sox general manager Ken Williams said. "There is nothing to report."
GMs met with their counterparts and also greeted agents looking to lay the groundwork for free-agent deals after those players can start negotiating money with all teams on Nov. 20. Trade talk likely will percolate heading into the winter meetings in Indianapolis from Dec. 7-10.
There was one internal deal announced Wednesday, as the Seattle Mariners agreed to a one-year contract to keep Ken Griffey Jr.
Washington, meanwhile, decided to stick with Jim Riggleman as manager.
The Nationals will drop Riggleman's interim tag and make him their manager for 2010, two people in baseball familiar with the team's plans told The Associated Press. Both people spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made. The team was planning a news conference for Thursday.
Riggleman was promoted from bench coach to interim manager in July, replacing the fired Manny Acta.
Griffey may be coming back for the 22nd season, but it sure appears Milton Bradley won't return to the Cubs, even though he has two years and $21 million left on his contract.
Cubs general manager Jim Hendry wasn't specific on whether he discussed moving the mercurial Bradley, who was suspended the final two weeks last season — shortly after he criticized the atmosphere surrounding a team that hasn't won a World Series since 1908.
But Hendry did have plenty of general conversations as he tries to get the Cubs back to the playoffs under new ownership.
"I probably talked to seven or eight clubs, just the normal things, just the way I anticipated. You feel like, hopefully, there's some business to be done in the next few weeks," Hendry said. "Hopefully, you can do something before you get to Indianapolis. ... It was really a good environment after all. A lot of people were in the same spots, and it was easy to find guys to talk to."
Hendry's team had the third-highest opening-day payroll last season, topped only by the World Series champion Yankees and the disappointing Mets.
The free-agent pool includes outfielders Matt Holliday and Jason Bay, pitcher John Lackey and infielder-outfielder Chone Figgins. After that, there are few stars in their prime.
"I think this is a free-agent market where there is definitely a drop-off between the premium guys and the second-tier guys," Mets general manager Omar Minaya said.
Agents Arn Tellem and Scott Boras were also part of the scene at the hotel.
Boras represents Holliday and Johnny Damon, while Tellem negotiates for World Series MVP Hideki Matsui.
Tellem said Matsui's goal has always been to spend 10 seasons in the major leagues. He just completed his seventh year with the Yankees.
Tellem also represents free-agent Rich Harden, who pitched for the Cubs last year.
"He likes Chicago. We'll see," Tellem said. "Just like with Hideki, we're starting the process."
Teams also inquired about Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay, who has one year left on his contract and was the subject of trade rumors last season.
"Obviously, I'm getting asked," new Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos said. "He's obviously the best player on the team, he's one of the best players in the entire game and probably the best player this franchise has ever known. But with respect to trade rumors, speculation, things like that, I've told everybody I don't want to comment at all about any players at all."
Among the issues discussed during the formal meeting on the final day were ways to curb identity and age problems in the Dominican Republic; the progress of urban academies with a new one scheduled to open in Houston next year and another by 2011 near Miami; the ramifications of taxes on fringe benefits, even World Series rings; improving international relationships with baseball organizations in Japan and South Korea; and potentially restructuring the GM meetings, maybe adding one after the draft.
Jimmie Lee Solomon, executive vice president of baseball operations for the commissioner's office, said a committee will report to owners on the prospects for an international draft, which would be subject to negotiations with the players' association.
-- Rick Gano
Fontenot earns last spot in salary arbitration
NEW YORK — Chicago Cubs infielder Mike Fontenot earned the last arbitration spot for players with between two and three years of major league service, beating out Baltimore center fielder Adam Jones and Cincinnati pitcher Micah Owings on a tiebreaker.
All three had 2 years, 139 days of service time, and ties are broken by service time in each immediately preceding season. Arizona third baseman Mark Reynolds, who had 44 homers and 102 RBIs, had 2 years, 138 days.
Fontenot hit .236 last season with nine homers and 43 RBIs. Jones, a first-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner, batted .277 with 19 homers and 70 RBIs. Owings was 7-12 with a 5.34 ERA in 19 starts and seven relief appearances.
Fontenot made $430,000 last season, while Owings earned $420,000, Reynolds $422,500 and Jones $435,000. Arizona figures to save several million dollars next year because Reynolds fell short.
Since the 1990 labor agreement, the top 17 percent of players with at least two and less than three years of service time are eligible for arbitration along with players with at least three years but less than six — when they become eligible for free agency.
Among the so-called super 2s are San Francisco pitcher Tim Lincecum, Tampa Bay pitcher Matt Garza, Chicago Cubs pitcher Tom Gorzelanny, Kansas City third baseman Alex Gordon, Baltimore pitcher Matt Albers, Pittsburgh pitcher Jeff Karstens, Houston outfielder Hunter Pence, Texas pitcher Dustin Nippert and newly acquired Milwaukee outfielder Carlos Gomez.
Players may file for arbitration in mid-January and those who don't settle go to hearings the following month, with three-arbitrator panels selecting the salary proposed by either the player or club.
Clubs may unilaterally set the salaries of players who don't have enough service time to be in arbitration — provided the salary is at least the major league minimum of $400,000 and complies with rules limiting the amount of paycuts.
-- Ronald Blum
National League
Rollins and Victorino repeat as Gold Glove winners
NEW YORK — Shortstop Jimmy Rollins won his third consecutive National League Gold Glove and Philadelphia Phillies teammate Shane Victorino won for the second straight time in the outfield on Wednesday.
Rollins became the Phillies fifth three-time winner, joining Mike Schmidt (10), Garry Maddox (eight), Manny Trillo and Scott Rolen (three each).
St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina and San Diego first baseman Adrian Gonzalez also were second-time winners announced on Wednesday.
Adam Wainwright became the first St. Louis pitcher to win since Joaquin Andujar in 1984 and succeeded Greg Maddux, who won his record 18th Gold Glove last year. Wainwright also is a favorite for the NL Cy Young Award after going 19-8 with a 2.63 ERA.
"I would have thought if there was one award that I would never win, or never have a chance to win, that would be a Gold Glove Award," Wainwright said. "There's probably a ton of guys that are better fielders than me."
Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Orlando Hudson overcame a broken left wrist sustained in August 2008 and won for the fourth time, taking over from Cincinnati's Brandon Phillips even though Hudson lost playing time by September to teammate Ronnie Belliard. Hudson didn't make a single playoffs start for Los Angeles, then became a free agent.
"I had a good season," he said. "I would be interested in coming back."
Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman replaced the New York Mets' David Wright, a boyhood friend, and became only the second Washington player to win the award, joining catcher Earl Battey of the original Senators in 1960.
Houston outfielder Michael Bourn and Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp also were first-time winners.
Bourn concentrated on fielding during winter ball.
"When I went to the Dominican, I didn't just try to work on my offense. I tried to work on my defense as well," he said. "It helps me a little bit more over there because the ground's a little bit rough and you have harder bounces and so you've got to get used to playing those tough bounces. When it comes to a regular field it made it seem a little easier for me."
Gonzalez, Molina, Rollins and Wainwright each earned $50,000 bonuses, and the price of Gonzalez's 2011 club option increased by $100,000 to $5.7 million. Bourn and Victorino each earned $25,000 bonuses. Hudson and Kemp didn't have bonus provisions in their contracts.
Rawlings began presenting Gold Gloves in 1957. Managers and coaches voted on players in their own leagues before the regular season ended but couldn't select members of their own teams.
-- Ronald Blum
Ex-Dodgers CEO responds in divorce battle
LOS ANGELES — Fired Dodgers chief executive Jamie McCourt made a case for her job performance with the team, saying she was handling daily operations even before she was named to lead the franchise in February.
"I was handling everything from catsup dispenser to whether (manager) Joe Torre should be hired," McCourt, 55, told the Los Angeles Times in a column published Wednesday.
She also reiterated her intent to buy the storied franchise.
McCourt was fired last month by her husband and Dodgers owner Frank McCourt. Soon after, she filed for divorce after 30 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences.
The couple are fighting over who is the team's rightful owner. A court commissioner has denied her bid to be reinstated as CEO.
Marshall Grossman, an attorney representing the Dodgers, said Frank McCourt declined comment.
Frank McCourt previously said his wife did a poor job after being promoted as the first female chief executive in Major League Baseball.
Jamie McCourt countered that her husband plotted to boot her from the team's front office as a way to humiliate and ostracize her. She eventually lodged a workplace harassment complaint with team attorneys.
Jamie McCourt also said she would like to assemble a coalition of Los Angeles investors from various demographics to acquire the team.
"When you have partners and you have equity, you have an opportunity and the wherewithal to have an expanded budget for player compensation," she said.
To her dismay, the messy breakup has played out in hundreds of pages of court documents filed in the divorce case. Frank McCourt said in the filings she was having an affair with her bodyguard-driver, a former Dodgers employee.
"Absolutely not," Jamie McCourt told the newspaper. "I have never been with another man until the marriage broke up. Ever. Ever."
Jamie McCourt has said in court documents the couple's worth is estimated at more than $1.2 billion, with the Dodgers accounting for about $800 million of that amount. She is seeking more than $300,000 a month in spousal support.
A hearing is set for Dec. 15.
Victor Zambrano's mother rescued in Venezuela
CARACAS, Venezuela — The mother of former major league pitcher Victor Zambrano was rescued after a three-day kidnapping ordeal, Venezuelan authorities said on Wednesday.
The 56-year-old Elizabeth Mendez Zambrano was rescued late Tuesday during a "commando-style operation" in the central state of Aragua, Federal Police Chief Wilmer Flores Trosel said.
Zambrano said having his mother alongside him again was a "great joy."
"I never thought we could be together again so soon," he said.
Trosel said Mendez Zambrano was held in a makeshift dwelling near a highway, where she was only once offered food.
Three men have been detained, including two brothers and one man wanted for homicide, Trosel said. He said a fourth suspect has been identified, a 24-year-old man wanted nationally for homicide and robbery.
Police said seven armed men burst into Mendez Zambrano's home at her son's farm near Maracay on Sunday morning and kidnapped her because they didn't find large amounts of cash and jewelry.
Zambrano's mother was abducted nine days after the former big league pitcher's cousin, Richard Mendez Zambrano, was kidnapped and later killed. Police have declined to comment on whether the two incidents were related.
Zambrano played for Tampa Bay, the New York Mets, Toronto and Baltimore over seven seasons. The right-hander had a career record of 45-44 with a 4.64 ERA.
He hasn't appeared in the majors since 2007, and plays in Venezuela's winter league.
Crime is rampant in Venezuela and the families of wealthy athletes are periodically targeted by criminals. Another former major league player, Jose Castillo, said he was robbed by armed men on motorcycles as he left his luxury hotel in a taxi on Tuesday on the way to Caracas stadium.
Castillo, who plays for the Caracas Lions, said the robbers took his gold chain and wedding ring.
In June, Colorado catcher Yorvit Torrealba's son and brother-in-law were kidnapped and released a day later.
-- Jorge Rueda
Diamondbacks add Williams, Porter as coaches
PHOENIX — Former Arizona slugger Matt Williams is joining the Diamondbacks as first base coach.
A five-time All-Star third baseman, the 43-year-old Williams will make his big league coaching debut. He played for the club from 1998-2003 and recently completed his fifth season as a team broadcaster.
Bo Porter will also join manager A.J. Hinch's staff, as third base coach. Porter spent parts of three seasons with the Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers.
The Diamondbacks also said that Glenn Sherlock, who has been on the staff since the team's inception in 1998, will return as the bullpen and catching coach.
Six games against Phils on Pirates' spring schedule
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates will open their 32-game spring training schedule against the World Series champion New York Yankees on Tuesday, March 2 and will close it with three games against the NL champion Phillies — two in Philadelphia.
The Pirates will break camp eariler than usual to play the April 2-3 games in Philadelphia. Their final Florida exhibition will be April 1, against the Phillies in Clearwater, Fla.
The Pirates will play 15 major league exhibitions in Bradenton, down from the 20 of last spring. They play the Phillies six times and the Yankees and Rays four times.
American League
Griffey stays with Mariners for 2010
SEATTLE — Junior's back in Seattle, one more time.
Ken Griffey Jr. and the Mariners agreed Wednesday to another one-year contract that will keep the popular player in town for what could be his final season.
Griffey, who turns 40 on Nov. 21, was guaranteed $2 million when he signed to return to Seattle for the 2009 season and had the chance to earn more in bonuses.
"The framework of this year's contract is similar to last year's," Griffey's agent, Brian Goldberg, said by telephone.
It is believed Griffey will get a slightly higher base salary, with fewer incentives based upon plate appearances and Mariners home attendance. He earned $1.15 million of a possible $3 million in bonuses from this year's contract.
He is likely to again be a part-time designated hitter in his 22nd major league season since he broke in as a grinning Mariners teenager.
"The fact that Junior is ending up his career in Seattle is very special," Goldberg said. "He is willing to perform any role."
Griffey figures to again be the leader of a rising team that last season became the 13th club since 1901 to finish with a winning record the year after losing 100 games.
"He's open to anything," Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said in a telephone interview from baseball's GM meetings in Chicago. "What he said was, 'I'd like to be a part of this. Hey, I'm the part of a 25-man club. Let the pieces fall where they may ... let the manager make the decisions.' It's a real bonus to have him back."
A 10-time All-Star and the 1997 AL MVP for the Mariners, Griffey hit .214 last season with 19 homers as a part-time DH. He was limited by a swollen left knee that required a second operation in as many offseasons last month.
Griffey is No. 5 on the career home run list with 630. He said in October he would like to return if the Mariners wanted him, then never filed for free agency. He again considered staying home in Orlando, Fla., to be with his wife and three, school-aged children.
After spending his first 11 seasons with Seattle and becoming a star, he played nine more with Cincinnati and the Chicago White Sox. Griffey returned to the Mariners this year and almost single-handedly transformed what had been a fractured, bickering clubhouse with his leadership, energy and constant pranks.
"He went beyond anything that I would have expected," Zduriencik said.
Griffey turned formerly reclusive star Ichiro Suzuki into a smiling, joking teammate. He had neck ties made for road trips bearing manager Don Wakamatsu's likeness. He also had the Mariners wearing ties bearing his own likeness and the words "World's Greatest Teammate" for one midseason flight out of Seattle.
"His influence, the presence he has — there are players on this ball club who are very excited to know they are going to be teammates again with Ken Griffey Jr.," Zduriencik said.
The Mariners even carried Griffey off the field on their shoulders immediately following October's season finale. He was in tears, saying it was unlike any other day in his life.
"It's a whole lot of love, a lot of friendship. I don't know to describe it," Griffey said Oct. 4. "It's been unbelievable. They helped me more than I helped them."
"I'd like to thank the Mariners organization for inviting me back to play in 2010," Griffey said in a statement. "While 2009 was an awesome experience for me, my ultimate goal is for the Mariners to get to and win the World Series. To that end, I look forward to contributing in any role that Don sees fit on the field, and any manner I possibly can off the field."
Seattle is convinced he is healthy enough to contribute again next year — though he won't undergo a physical to formally close his new deal for a while, to give time for the knee to recover from surgery.
"We feel real good about information we've gotten from Dr. (Timothy) Kremcheck," Zdurencik of the Cincinnati-based surgeon who removed a bone spur in Griffey's knee on Oct. 26.
"We believe that Ken's presence with the Seattle Mariners organization was such a positive asset last season with his leadership on and off the field," Zduriencik said. "His passion for baseball, life and the Seattle Mariners goes unsaid."
Varitek exercises option to remain with Red Sox
BOSTON — Catcher Jason Varitek exercised his $3 million option to stay with the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, choosing to remain with the team as a backup to Victor Martinez rather than become a free agent.
Boston declined to exercise its $5 million club option on Monday, and Varitek then had two days to decide whether to exercise his player option at the lower price.
The 37-year-old Varitek was Boston's starting catcher for nine of 10 seasons through 2008, except in 2001 when he was limited to 51 games because of injury. He was the regular last season until Boston obtained Martinez from the Cleveland Indians in a trade on July 31.
Boston exercised a $7.7 million club option for Martinez on Monday.
Since coming to Boston from Seattle with pitcher Derek Lowe for reliever Heathcliff Slocumb in July 1997, Varitek hit .259 with 175 homers and 705 RBIs. But he slumped the past two seasons, hitting .220 in 2008 and then a career-low. 209 this year. He also threw out just 10 of 118 runners attempting to steal this year, according to STATS LLC.
Frequently praised by pitchers for his game-handling ability, Varitek caught 108 games last year, 106 of them starts. Most were before Martinez arrived at the trade deadline. Varitek holds the Red Sox record with 1,381 games as a catcher.
See archived 'Sports' stories »
We want our site to be a place where people discuss and debate ideas that foster stronger communities. We built this for you. Please take care of it. Tolerate broad thinking, but take action against obscene or hateful material. Make it a credible and safe place worth preserving and sharing.
