Aramis Ramirez – 3 for 5, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI 
Ramirez smacked one of three walk-offs Friday, but to score three runs off tough Milwaukee closer Francisco Cordero was by far the most impressive. The Cubs’ cleanup hitter hit the winning 2-run shot with two outs to lead Chicago (39-39) to a 6-5 victory over the Brewers (46-33) and a season-high seven game winning streak.
Hank Aaron 755
Barry Bonds 750
Babe Ruth 714
San Francisco (33-45) slugger Barry Bonds hit home run number 750 Friday, a solo shot in the eighth inning in a 4-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks (46-35) in 10 innings. Bonds is now just 5 shy of tying Hank Aaron’s all-time mark of 755. In the eighth inning, Bonds launched a full-count breaking ball off Livan Hernandez (5-5) over the right field wall to tie the game at 3. The left-fielder finished the game 2 for 4 with 2 RBI and a walk. At current season’s pace, Bonds is expected to tie the record on July 29.
For the season, Bonds is hitting .298 with 16 home runs, 37 RBI and a major league-leading 79 walks.
Categories: MLB
3,000/500 – Craig Biggio of the Houston Astros recorded the 3,000th hit of his career, becoming the 27th player in MLB history to do so. The second baseman is in his 19th season–all with the Astros–and went 5 for 6 on Thursday, as Houston went on to beat the Colorado Rockies 8-5 in 11 innings.
Meanwhile, Frank Thomas of the Toronto Blue Jays hit his 500th home run of his career in an 8-5 loss to the Minnesota Twins. He became the 21st player to get in the 500 club, which is a usual cornerstone for getting in the Hall of Fame. The 17-year vet has 13 home runs on the year and at 39, has two years on a fat contract to play out for the Blue Jays.
By Bryan Jeon
In what is considered one of the deepest drafts in NBA history, the day has finally come. Word has leaked that the Portland Trail Blazers have already made their decision to draft Ohio State center Greg Oden with the first pick in this year’s draft. But after the selection of Texas’ Kevin Durant with the number two pick, there will be plenty of surprises. Check out the 2007 NBA draft at 4pm PST on ESPN.
Categories: NBA
C.C. Sabathia – 9.0 IP, 1 W, 8 K, 2 ER, 1.00 WHIP
The Cleveland southpaw joined Boston’s Josh Beckett as the majors’ only 11-game winners with a 5-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Monday. Sabathia had his second complete-game victory of the month, and is among the best pitchers in baseball this season with a 3.24 ERA and 1.14 WHIP and 108 strikeouts in 122 1/3 innings pitched.
By Bryan Jeon
Chris Benoit, his wife and their 7-year-old son were found dead in their Georgia
home on Monday in what police are investigating as a double murder-suicide. Investigators believe that Benoit killed his wife and son over the weekend, and then himself on Monday. All three bodies were found in three different rooms, and there were no signs of gunshot wounds or stab wounds. Autopsies could take weeks before results come out, but police did note that “the instruments of death were located on scene.” At this time, investigators are not even looking at suspects outside of the house.
The Canadian native was a former world heavyweight champion, Intercontinental champion and held several tag-team titles over his wrestling career. Benoit, you taught me how to temporarily paralyze my friends with your “Crippler Crossface” submission hold and for that, I thank you. Your savagery, technical skills, mood, energy and fame you brought into the arena will be missed. (Along with the flying headbutts off the top rope to the opponent’s face, which I was too much of a pussy to ever attempt.)
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Image courtesy of wrestleline.com
Categories: Miscellaneous
584 – The number of career home runs hit by Cincinnati Reds outfielder Ken Griffey Jr., moving him past Mark McGwire for seventh on the career list. Griffey hit his 20th and 21st home runs of the season in the Reds’ 3-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Sunday. Next up is Frank Robinson, who is just two up on Griffey for sixth all-time.
By Bryan Jeon
For the week of 6/18-6/24:
Who’s Hot:
Reggie Willits (LAA OF) – 5 R, O HR, 6 RBI, 2 SB, .440 (11-25)
The Halos’ new leadoff hitter knows how to get on base with a .343 season average, good for third in the AL. This year’s Freddy Sanchez has also got some quick feet with 18 stolen bases, and is a sure everyday player this point forward.
Yovani Gallardo (Mil SP) – 13.1 IP, 1-0, 12 K, 2.70 ERA, 1.05 WHIP
One of the Brewers’ top pitching prospects has put up two quality starts his first time in the big leagues. Get him now as a temporary starter if he’s available; he’ll pitch until at least when Chris Capuano comes back, which could be as early as next week.
Bob Howry (ChC RP) – 4.1 IP, 0-1, 2 SV, 6 K, 2.08 ERA, 1.15 WHIP
As with Gallardo, Howry is a fill-in for an injured Ryan Dempster. He has converted saves on consecutive nights over the weekend, and with an apparent setback in Dempster’s recovery from coming back on Monday, Howry could play the role of closer for a little while longer. Get him now if he’s available.
Who’s Not:
Felix Pie (ChC OF) – 1 R, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 0 SB, .105 (2-19)
Two weeks ago, the rookie was playing well in the 2-hole, in between Alfonso Soriano and Derrek Lee, since he was brought back to be the Cubs’ everyday centerfielder. He had six stolen bases in 12 games, but now is mired in a 2 for 23 slump, demoting his place in the lineup to the eighth spot, while not recording a steal in his last six games.
Josh Johnson (Fla SP, RP) – 6.2 IP, 0-2, 5 K, 14.85 ERA, 3.60 WHIP
The right-handed starter for The Fish has had two terrible starts in his long-awaited season debut after a solid rookie campaign. Fantasy experts still expect Johnson to post numbers similar to his 3.10 ERA and 1.30 WHIP last year, but I’m calling sophomore slump on this 23-year-old pitcher trying to make a comeback from an elbow injury that sidelined him until now.
Antonio Alfonseca (Phi RP) – 2.0 IP, 0-0, 0 K, 4.50 ERA, 3.00 WHIP
Alfonseca’s stock is dropping by the day, as he hasn’t recorded a save since June 11. On top of that and most importantly, Tom Gordon and/or Brett Myers are inching their way towards a return as early as next week. Sell Alfonseca while he’s still worth something.
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Position eligibility is in accordance with Yahoo! fantasy baseball leagues.
Images courtesy of AP Photo.
Categories: Fantasy Baseball · MLB
11 – The number of consecutive decisions St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Anthony Reyes has lost, dropping to 0-9 on the season. Don’t worry, he’s not having a miserable case of the unluckies, as he’s boasting a very deserving 6.64 ERA and 1.47 WHIP. On Friday, Reyes went 4 1/3 innings, giving up five earned runs on nine hits, as the Philadelphia Phillies (38-35) breezed past the Cardinals (32-38) 6-0.
Arizona’s Edgar Gonzalez was the last pitcher to lose his first nine decisions of the season in 2004. The last pitcher to drop 11 in a row was Cleveland’s Fausto Carmona, who ended his streak in April of this year.
Hopefully, Reyes and the defending champions can turn things around very quickly (like Carmona did, who is 8-3 with a 3.21 ERA) if they want to salvage their season. They currently sit eight games out of the wild card spot and hold a six-man starting rotation that includes three former relievers and Reyes. What a mess. Good luck, La Russa.
Hank Aaron 755
Barry Bonds 749
Babe Ruth 714
San Francisco (30-42) slugger Barry Bonds hit home run number 749 Friday, a solo shot in the eighth inning in a 7-3 loss to the New York Yankees (36-35). Bonds is now just 6 shy of tying Hank Aaron’s all-time mark of 755. In the eighth inning, Bonds launched a full-count fastball off set-up man Scott Proctor (1-3) just over the center field wall. The left-fielder finished the game 1 for 3 with a bases-loaded walk and a strikeout. At current season’s pace, Bonds is expected to tie the record on July 27.
For the season, Bonds is hitting .284 with 15 home runs, 33 RBI and a major league-leading 71 walks.
Categories: MLB
