January 12, 2010
On January 11, 2010 retired baseball slugger Mark McGwire admitted to steroid use while an active player with Major League Baseball. As a rookie with the Oakland Athletics, McGwire was named the American League Rookie of the Year and broke a league record of most home runs by a rookie with 49. He came to fame as one of the “Bash Brothers” in the late 1980’s post season appearances. In 1997 he was traded to the Saint Louis Cardinals. It was in 1998 that McGwire and Sammy Sosa found themselves competing to break Roger Maris’ record of most home runs in a season. The nation was captivated as each player tallied dinger after dinger with McGwire emerging as the victor with 70 home runs compared to Sosa’s 66 and Maris’ record of 61. While McGwire’s home run record was broken in later seasons, he holds the distinction of the highest RBI-per-hit tally in all of baseball. Alleged steroid use has been a cloud over McGwire, most notably when he was subpoenaed in 2005 before a Congressional Hearing. When asked specific questions about steroid use, McGwire’s standard response was “I’m not here to talk about the past. . .” These allegations have potentially affected his induction into baseball’s Hall of Fame. McGwire became eligible in 2007, but has not received the needed level of votes for election.
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November 6, 2009
Last month Frank and Jamie McCourt announced their separation, ending a 30-year marriage. The couple purchased the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2004 with Frank listed as owner and Chairman with Major League Baseball. Jamie was appointed Chief Executive Officer. Approximately one week after the separation announcement, Jamie McCourt was fired from her position under allegations she was recruiting investors to buy out her husband and gain control of the team as well as having an affair with a subordinate. Jamie filed suit seeking reinstatement of her position, and on November 5th a Supreme Court Commissioner ruled against her claim. Jamie states she is entitled to half of the Dodgers under the State of California’s guidelines to divide community property 50-50 in divorce cases. However, several years ago she signed a legal document dividing the family assets that lists “all assets of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team” as belonging solely to Frank. Jamie claims she was unaware of the clause and seeks its nullification—all this will be decided at a later date.
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July 25, 2009
Chicago White Sox pitcher, Mark Buehrle, pitched a perfect game on Thursday, July 23, 2009. A perfect game is defined as a game in which the opposing team gets no men on base – no hits, no walks, and no hit batters. It is such a rare feat, that this is only the 18th time in the history of Major League Baseball that this has been done. Buehrle came close to accomplishing this once before in 2007 but he walked Sammy Sosa. He is having difficulty determining which was more surreal – pitching a perfect game or receiving a call of congratulations from President Barack Obama, a known White Sox fan.
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June 17, 2009
The cover of the June 8, 2009 Sports Illustrated magazine featured 16-year-old Bryce Harper. Harper is said to be an outstanding baseball player for Las Vegas High School. So outstanding, that cover dubbed him “Baseball’s Chosen One”. Harper and his father recently announced that he has quit high school to pursue a GED and enter the Major League Baseball Draft in 2010. He could be the first pick in the draft and be signed for $20 million. Harper is 6′3”, 205 lbs, hits 570 ft homeruns, pitches at 96 mph, and can throw out a stealing runner from his knees in the position of catcher. He has been compared to baseball superstars Justin Upton, Ken Griffey Jr, and Alex Rodriguez.
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May 14, 2009
In recent years allegations of steroid use has loomed large over all professional sports teams including major league baseball. At the end of 2007 the “Mitchell Report” was released detailing a 20-month long investigation into baseball’s use of steroids and human growth hormones. This report also listed 89 former and current players who are alleged to have used steroids or drugs at least one time in their career. In the past week Manny Ramirez, formerly of the Boston Red Sox and currently the star player of the Los Angeles Dodgers, tested positive for a banned substance. While the substance found was not a steroid, it is widely used after a steroid cycle to return testosterone levels back to normal. On NBCSports.com, contributor Mike Celizic, posed the question, are top sports agents such as Scott Boras and Michael Nicotera encouraging steroid use since it also pumps up their profits?
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January 10, 2009
Bernice Gallego was cleaning out her antiques store when she discovered a baseball card from the Cincinnati Red Stockings. Not knowing its value, she placed it on E-bay for $10. She became suspect when she was asked to quickly close the bidding. After a bit of research, she learned the the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings formed the foundation of the Major League Baseball we enjoy today.
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