Former U.S. figure skating champion Nicole Bobek was ordered to spend five years on probation for her role in a New Jersey methamphetamine ring, a sentence that she said would give her a chance to get her life back on track.

“Nothing but positive things can come out of this,” Bobek said outside the Jersey City courtroom where she was sentenced Monday. “It’s been a long 1 1/2 years. I’m looking to get back onto that ice.”

The 32-year-old pleaded guilty in June to a charge of conspiring to distribute crystal meth. She was among 28 people accused last year of running a network that allegedly distributed $10,000 worth of methamphetamine per week.  Bobek had been out on bail and living with her mother prior to her sentencing.

The first baseman reached the milestone when he parked his 30th home run of the season during a 9-7 loss to the Chicago Cubs.

In each of his previous nine seasons, Pujols has batting averages above .300 and recorded at least 100 RBIs on top of his regular 30-homer figure, a feat he is on his way to matching this season.

The 30-year-old Pujols now has 396 home runs in total, tied for 50th on the all-time list of Major League Home Run hitters.

Despite comments from General Manager Jack Zduriencik only a few days ago that “Don’s our manager,” Wakamatsu was fired today, after posting a 127-147 (.464) record in less than two seasons as Mariners manager. Wakamatsu was credited for the Mariners surprising turnaround in 2009, when the team followed up a 101 loss season in 2008 with an 85-77 record.  This season, the Mariners are near the bottom in the American League, playing poorly, have one of the worst offenses in Mariner history, and are thought to have hit bottom with a recent dugout fracas between infielder Chone Figgins and the manager. 

The fact of his firing isn’t so much of a surprise as the timing, especially after General Manager Jack Zduriencik’s belated show of support on August 2^nd.  

While it is obvious that Wak had lost control of his team, as evidenced by the mutinous behavior of Figgins (who apparently received no consequences for his public display against his manager), the real blame for this poorly performing team (more accurately, the team’s poor offense), should rest with Jack Zduriencik and upper management for failing to bring in any hitters in the off-season to support what turned out to be a great pitching staff.

Minor league manager Daren Brown will leave Tacoma to take over the helm of the sinking ship USS Mariner.  The poor guy!  Changing managers will not matter unless Jack  Z brings in some power hitters over the off-season, and not from the minor, but though free-agency and/or trades. 

See also:

http://www.mynorthwest.com/category/mariners_articles/20100809/Mariners-fire-Don-Wakamatsu/

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/mariners/2012577357_wakamatsu10.html

I had the opportunity to attend a Tacoma Rainiers minor-league game August 3, 2010 and saw several of the Seattle Mariners’ top prospects play, as well as one well-honed veteran making what is likely his last appearance as a player in the Pacific Northwest.  The day after the game, Mike Sweeney was traded by Seattle to the Philadelphia Phillies, who needed a replacement for Ryan Howard, the injured first baseman who was put on the D.L.

The weather was perfect for a day game (11:30 start), and my dad, brother, and I had great seats three rows back from home plate.  We got to see and hear everything that happened near home plate.  The real treat for us was getting see three of the players acquired in the Cliff Lee trade: First baseman Justin Smoak, and pitchers Josh Lueke, and Blake Beavan.

The two pitchers performed well, but my attention was primarily on Smoak, who had just been sent down to AAA from Seattle.  Smoak went 3 and 1, with one walk.  Up close, it is clear why his major league batting average was hovering around the Mendoza Line; his swing has a huge hole in it.  He clearly has the power to smack a ball far if he connects with it, but for now, his swing is way too wild.  Hopefully his time in the minors will allow him to work on his swing and receive some good instruction on how to improve.

One unexpected treat was the play of veteran good guy Mike Sweeney, who was on an alleged rehab assignment in Tacoma.  Oddly enough, (or so it seemed to us at the time), Sweeney was playing 1^st base, rather than DH.  Most of his playing time with Seattle had been at the DH spot.  Sweeney hit two home runs, and it was clear that he was truly enjoying himself and enjoyed playing well.  As it turns out, his family was in attendance, sitting near the Rainiers dugout.  After each home run, Sweeney got a kiss from his young sons.  Very touching!  He is well-known as a good family man, and it shows.  As we now know, the next day Sweeney was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, and he will now be on a playoff-contending team.  If this is truly the swan song of his career, he will have  a good opportunity to end it in the playoffs.

Starter Blake Beavan made his AAA debut, allowing seven hits, two runs and a walk in six innings. Beavan also struck out two and picked up the win. Reliever Josh Lueke pitched the ninth inning and gave up one run and ended the game with a strikeout.  Lueke’s fastball reached 97 miles per hour, and he showed good command of his pitches.

The Rainiers, who lead their division, won the game 9 to 3 over the Reno Aces, who are the AAA club for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Leading the Aces is Manager Brett Butler, who had a pretty good view of, but did not recognize at first.  Butler was one of baseball’s top lead-off hitters in the 80s and 90s, and I remember watching him (on television), playing for the Giants and the Dodgers.  He looks older than his 53 years, and is walking with a vicious-looking limp. 

Read more: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/08/04/1288755/sweeneys-send-off.html#ixzz0vlUJAqb7

Below is the Box Score from the Tacoma Rainiers web site at http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t529&gid=2010_08_03_renaaa_tacaaa_1&cid=529&t=g_box

August 03, 2010

Final

Recap | Box  
W: Beavan (1-0, 3.00) L: Collmenter (3-3, 6.31)

Tacoma Rainiers

WP: Septimo.
HBP: Carp (by Collmenter).
Pitches-strikes: Collmenter 109-61, Septimo 41-24, Beavan 101-69, Varvaro 37-21, Lueke 13-8.
Groundouts-flyouts: Collmenter 4-11, Septimo 1-2, Beavan 5-9, Varvaro 1-4, Lueke 2-0.
Batters faced: Collmenter 32, Septimo 9, Beavan 26, Varvaro 7, Lueke 4.
Inherited runners-scored: Septimo 3-0.
Umpires: HP: Brian Sinclair. 1B: Takeshi Hirabayashi. 2B: . 3B: Russ Ratliff.
Weather: 62 degrees, cloudy.
Wind: 3 mph, Out to CF.
T: 2:35.
Att: 6,384.

The Mariners gambled when they acquired Cliff Lee in the off-season, hoping that he would help lead the team back to the playoffs for the first time  since 2001, but with the team mired dead last in the division, Mariners management decided to trade him away for prospects that they hope will pan out for the future. 

For those hopeful fans who follow the Mariners, this is a stark reminder of all the talent that the team has traded, or allowed to walk  away, in the past: Dave Henderson, Mark Langston (actually, a pretty good deal this one!), Alex Rodriguez, Randy Johnson, Freddy Garcia, Carlos Guillen, Omar Vizquel, Raoul Ibanez, Mike Cameron, Jamie Moyer, and Ken Griffey Jr., to name only the some of the biggest names to leave.

Read more at:

http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/mlb/news/story?id=5367615

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/10/sports/baseball/10kepner.html

Oakland defeated Tampa Bay 4-0 in Oakland.

Data on Dallas Braden:

–Dallas Braden threw the 19th perfect game in MLB history and the second straight perfect game against the Rays

–Braden was the Athletics’ 24th-round pick in 2004 draft

–Braden played for eight minor league teams from 2004-08

–Prior to the perfectg game, Braden’s record was 17-23, wtih a 4.62 ERA in his MLB career before the perfect game

–Ironically, Braden pitched his perfect game on Mother’s Day, but his  mother died of melanoma when he was in high school.  Braden’s grandmother, however, was in the stands to see his accomplishment

Dallas Braden Hugs His Grandmother on Mother's Day After His Perfect Game

 http://www.historyguy.com/sportshistory/dallas_braden_perfect_game_may_9_2010_mothers_day.htm

http://www.historyguy.com/sportshistory/baseball_no-hitters.htm#dallasbradenperfectgame

See the video below: