Major Leagues

     Upon retiring from baseball, Derek Jeter has similar aspirations to Michael Jordan, and would like to enter into an ownership role of a professional sports team.

    Jeter is sponsored by the Jordan brand, and was in Tampa where the Yankees’ spring training facilities are, unveiling his newest edition in his shoe line, the ninth installation.

     Jordan made headlines last week when his ownership of the Charlotte bobcats was unanimously passed by the other owners in the league and NBA Commissioner David Stern.

     “Oh yeah,” Jeter said. “The only interest I have in ownership is to be able to call the shots. I’ve said that time and time again.”

     Jeter and Jordan have known each other since the basketball player tried a stint in professional baseball upon his first retirement from the NBA.

     “I’m happy for him. I know it’s something he’s wanted to do for quite some time. Not too many former players get an opportunity to be an owner. It’s something I’d like to do as well,” Jeter remarked.

     But Jeter has no intentions of retiring anytime soon.

     “I’m going to play as long as I’m enjoying myself. I don’t really put limitations on too many things. I think when you start putting limitations out there, you’re in trouble,” the 10-time All-Star said. “I’m having a blast right now playing, and I’m going to play for a long time. That’s the plan.” Read the rest of this entry »

     The DraftBuddy.com Herzog fantasy baseball league draft is in the books, as of the middle of this past week, and we are now eagerly awaiting the start of baseball season to get this league going. Here is some commentary on the league and the results of the draft, to help you prep for your own upcoming fantasy baseball draft.

     Mike MacGregor, owner/operator of DraftBuddy.com , started the Herzog league and is the commissioner. He opened it up to all of his Cheatsheet Compiler & Draft Buddy customers, and 14 stepped up to the challenge to take on Mike, with me being his draft day conscience to prevent him from drafting Toronto Blue Jays rounds ahead of their average draft position, if at all.

     The league is a 15-team 5X5 roto, mixed (AL + NL) format. Given the difficulties of coordinating 15 middle-aged guys each with a wife, kids and a job (sometimes all three) to find time for a live draft, we arranged for a slow draft using a timer running Monday to Friday, morning to night. The timer turned off on the weekend and overnight. Read the rest of this entry »

     SURPRISE, Ariz.| Left-handed pitcher Danny Duffy, one of the Royals’ top prospects, left camp late Tuesday night after informing club officials that he was quitting baseball.

     “Danny informed us (Tuesday) that his desire is to leave baseball at this time to reassess his life priorities,” assistant general manager J.J. Picollo confirmed in a statement released by the club.

    “Should Danny decide in the future to return to the game, we will be happy at that time to discuss the possibility.”

     Picollo subsequently admitted Duffy’s decision caught him by surprise.

    “He said he just needs to get his head together,” Picollo said. “It’s disappointing because he’s a big part of what we’re trying to do here. All we can do at this point is try to be supportive.”

     Club officials say Duffy’s decision appears unrelated to a recent injury — a strained left elbow — that was expected to prevent him from pitching in games until mid-May. They also dismissed any suggestion that it was motivated by some looming negative revelation. Read the rest of this entry »

     That’s the message from a California lawmaker who is proposing legislation to impose a three-year moratorium on the use of metal or composite bats in high school baseball games.

     Assemblyman Jared Huffman is pushing for a crackdown after Gunnar Sandberg, 16, was critically injured while pitching for Marin Catholic High School when he was struck in the head March 11 by a line drive from a player using a metal bat.

     The San Rafael Democrat called the incident a wake-up call to protect pitchers from laser-like drives hit by “performance-enhancing metal bats” while they stand virtually unprotected less than 60 feet from home plate after releasing the ball.

     “I think we can anticipate that if we don’t step in at some point and do something, we’re going to see more and more juicing of bats through new technologies,” Huffman said. Read the rest of this entry »

     Now, they won’t have to worry. The team announced Sunday that the reigning American League Most Valuable Player had agreed to a $184 million, eight-year contract extension, the fourth richest deal in the majors. It was the best news fans could have received after also learning Sunday that star relief pitcher Joe Nathan would miss the upcoming season with a serious elbow injury.

     It would have been all but impossible to complete a new Mauer deal without the revenue-producing Target Field, which opens in mere days, on the horizon. But keeping the star catcher and three-time league batting champion in the Twin Cities was — as perhaps the team’s braintrust realized — far more important than just economics.

     Mauer, besides his stature as an elite player, is a hometown hero who was drafted by the Twins in 2001 out of Cretin-Derham-Hall High School. He is an outstanding role model and citizens, by nearly all accounts, on and off the field. In short, he is a fan favorite, and his departure to another team would have had a significantly negative ripple effect on attendance and overall team interest. Read the rest of this entry »