(PhatzRadio / AP) — BALTIMORE — Vernon Wells doubled in the tiebreaking run in the 10th inning and the New York Yankees hit four solo homers in a 6-4 victory over the Orioles on Monday night, extending Baltimore’s losing streak to six games.

New York trailed 4-3 in the ninth before Travis Hafner homered with one out on a 3-1 pitch from Jim Johnson, who has blown three straight save opportunities after converting a franchise-record 35 in a row. All three of those botched saves have come during Baltimore’s current skid.

Hafner added an RBI single in the 10th inning for the Yankees, who have won 10 of 13 to move a season-high 12 games over .500 (28-16). The Yankees also improved to 19-0 when scoring first this season.

Robinson Cano hit his team-high 13th home run in the first inning for New York, David Adams clubbed his first major-league homer in the second and Lyle Overbay connected in the seventh.

In the 10th, Ichiro Suzuki led off with a double off Pedro Strop (0-2) and Wells followed with an RBI double to left. Hafner’s two-out single made it 6-4.

David Robertson (3-0) worked the ninth and Mariano Rivera got three straight outs for his 17th save in 17 tries.

INDIANS 10, MARINERS 8, 10 innings

CLEVELAND — Yan Gomes hit a three-run homer in the 10th inning and the Indians, twice revived by Seattle’s fielding errors, beat the Mariners to complete a four-game sweep of the Mariners.

Gomes, who also homered in the second, drove a 3-2 pitch from Charlie Furbush (0-3) over the wall in left, giving the Indians their fifth straight win and third walk-off over the Mariners in four days. As Gomes reached the plate he was mobbed by his teammates following an improbable win that came after Cleveland’s bullpen gave up homers in three consecutive innings.

It was the Indians’ first four-game sweep of Seattle since 1981, and the comeback gave Cleveland its 18th win in 22 games.

Joe Smith (2-0) won despite giving up a go-ahead homer to Justin Smoak in the 10th.

BLUE JAYS 7, RAYS 5

TORONTO — R.A. Dickey won his second straight start, Edwin Encarnacion hit a tiebreaking, bases-loaded double in the seventh inning, and the Blue Jays beat the Rays.

Dickey (4-5) allowed three runs — two earned — and four hits in a season-high eight innings as the Blue Jays won their fourth straight home game. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner walked four and struck out five.

Casey Janssen gave up a two-run homer to former Toronto shortstop Yunel Escobar in the ninth. Booed by the crowd of 29,885, Escobar made a safe sign as he crossed the plate, prompting more jeers.

Desmond Jennings followed with a single and Matt Joyce walked, bringing the potential go-ahead run to the plate, but Janssen struck out Ben Zobrist on three pitches to end it.

Encarnacion doubled in the seventh after Josh Lueke (0-1) walked the bases loaded around a sacrifice and a flyout. Encarnacion’s hit off the left-field wall ricocheted past outfielder Sam Fuld.

WHITE SOX 6, RED SOX 4

CHICAGO — Adam Dunn hit a three-run homer in the first inning and the White Sox handed Jon Lester his first loss of the season with a victory over the Red Sox.

Alejandro De Aza and Alexei Ramirez added consecutive RBI doubles in the second as Chicago took advantage of an ineffective Lester (6-1) to earn its fifth win in seven games in the opener of an eight-game homestand. The White Sox scored each of their runs with two outs.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a two-run homer for the Red Sox, who had won five in a row. Saltalamacchia made a bid for a second two-run shot, but Dayan Viciedo brought in his drive on the warning track in left-center with the White Sox clinging to a 6-4 lead in the seventh.

While Lester struggled, Dylan Axelrod (2-3) pitched six effective innings to win his second straight start. The right-hander, who could lose his spot in the rotation when John Danks comes off the disabled list, gave up two runs and four hits.

ASTROS 6, ROYALS 5

HOUSTON — Matt Dominguez hit a three-run homer and Jason Castro added a solo shot to give the Astros a win over the Royals.

The Astros trailed by one in the fourth inning before Dominguez launched his fourth homer of the season into the Crawford Boxes in left field to give Houston a 6-4 lead.

Castro’s homer came in Houston’s two-run third inning before Kansas City took the lead on a three-run home run by Miguel Tejada in the fourth. It was his first homer since 2011.

Houston’s Dallas Keuchel (1-1) allowed nine hits and four runs while striking out six in 6 2-3 innings for the win. Closer Jose Veras struck out two in a perfect ninth for his seventh save.

Kansas City starter Jeremy Guthrie (5-2) allowed eight hits and a season-high six runs in five innings — his shortest start of the season.

ATHLETICS 9, RANGERS 2

ARLINGTON, Texas — Seth Smith homered and scored three times, Bartolo Colon pitched seven strong innings for his first win in nearly a month and the Athletics beat the Rangers.

Colon, who turns 40 on Friday, gave up two runs on six hits and struck out three. It was the first win for Colon (4-2) since April 23 at Boston.

Coco Crisp got three hits, and had the first of three straight Oakland doubles in a four-run fifth inning that broke a 1-1 tie. He scored when Yoenis Cespedes hit a line drive just over Adrian Beltre’s head with the third baseman playing in, and Cespedes came home on Brandon Moss’ line drive to the wall in right.

Josh Lindblom (0-1) lost in his 2013 debut and first major league start.

MLB – AL Roundup: Orioles lose to Yankees 6-4, skid reaches 6 is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

(PhatzRadio / AP) — MILWAUKEE — Clayton Kershaw scattered three singles in his second complete game of the year and Matt Kemp hit his first home run since April 24, lifting the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 3-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night.

Ryan Braun managed a pair of singles and Yuniesky Betancourt also singled for the only hits off Kershaw (5-2). The lefty struck out five and walked one.

Andre Ethier homered and tripled for the last-place Dodgers before being ejected by plate umpire Dan Bellino for arguing a called third strike in the eighth inning.

The victory was a respite for Dodgers manager Don Mattingly. He addressed speculation before the game on whether he would be fired this week, insisting he didn’t feel as if he was about to be replaced.

Yovani Gallardo (3-4) gave up three runs, including two homers, in six innings. The right-hander lost his third consecutive start and the reeling Brewers have dropped 15 of 18 games.

REDS 4, METS 3

NEW YORK — Jay Bruce hit a tiebreaking homer and an RBI double to back Johnny Cueto’s wild but effective return from the disabled list during Cincinnati’s victory over New York.

Brandon Phillips had a two-run single for his first career hit off Shaun Marcum (0-5) in 13 at-bats. Phillips also made two sparkling plays in the field to help the Reds bounce back from a stunning 3-2 loss to the Phillies in which closer Aroldis Chapman gave up two home runs.

Chapman, the Reds’ fifth reliever, struck out two in a perfect ninth for his ninth save. He had blown his two previous save chances.

Cueto (2-0) started for the first time since leaving his April 13 outing with a strained back muscle. Making his fourth start of the season, the Reds’ ace gave up three hits and three runs with eight strikeouts in five innings. But he walked four and served up a three-run homer to Marlon Byrd.

After the homer, Cueto struck out four in a row with a fastball that reached the mid-90s.

MARLINS 5, PHILLIES 1

MIAMI — Alex Sanabia outpitched Cole Hamels in a matchup of struggling starters to lead Miami past Philadelphia.

Justin Ruggiano and Nick Green each drove in two runs for Miami in front of a season-low crowd of 13,231 at Marlins Park. Sanabia (3-6) allowed one run and seven hits over 6 1-3 innings.

Hamels (1-7) struck out 10 in six effective innings but has not won since April 28. Domonic Brown homered for the Phillies.

Miami had 11 hits and struck out 13 times on its way to scoring more than three runs for just the second time in 13 games. The Marlins have won two straight after dropping seven in a row and 10 of 11.

DIAMONDBACKS 5, ROCKIES 1

DENVER — Patrick Corbin tossed a three-hitter for his first complete game and struck out a career-high 10, lifting Arizona over Colorado.

Corbin (7-0) joined Randy Johnson as the only lefties in team history to begin the season 7-0. He also turned in his club-record ninth straight start in which he’s pitched at least six innings and allowed two runs or less.

Didi Gregorius drove in two runs for the NL West leaders. A.J. Pollock had three hits and scored twice. Paul Goldschmidt and Eric Chavez had RBI singles in the third.

Pinch-hitter Jordan Pacheco broke up Corbin’s shutout bid with an RBI double in the eighth. Jon Garland (3-5) went six innings, allowing five runs and a season-high 11 hits.

___

INTERLEAGUE

BRAVES 5, TWINS 1

ATLANTA — Julio Teheran pitched into the ninth inning, Dan Uggla hit a three-run homer in the first and Atlanta beat struggling Minnesota for its fourth straight victory.

Teheran (3-1) gave up five hits, including Josh Willingham’s homer in the ninth. He struck out four, walked one and threw 80 of 123 pitches for strikes during the longest outing of his career.

Cory Gearrin earned his first major league save. Minnesota has lost six straight.

After rallying late to win three in a row against the Dodgers last weekend, Atlanta jumped on Twins starter Kevin Correia (4-4) early.

MLB – NL Roundup: Gallardo mistakes lead to Dodgers win over Brewers is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

LONDON (AP) – The Godolphin doping scandal deepened Monday, with British racing authorities announcing that seven more horses have tested positive for steroids, including the winner of the world’s oldest classic.

Trainer Mahmood al-Zarooni already has been banned eight years. He has acknowledged giving anabolic steroids to 15 horses in one of the largest doping scandals to hit the sport in Britain.

After tests on all Godolphin-owned horses in Newmarket, the British Horseracing Authority reported that seven based at Al-Zarooni’s Moulton Paddocks yard tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol.

They include Encke, a 25-1 shot when he won the 2012 St. Leger, denying the favored Camelot the Triple Crown. A test on Encke after the race was negative. The other six horses – Energizer, Genius Beast, Improvisation, Stamford, Steeler and Zip Top – will also be barred from racing until that date.

Al-Zarooni has appealed the severity of his initial suspension by the BHA. Any further action is on hold until that matter is resolved.

Godolphin founder Sheikh Mohammed locked down Al-Zarooni’s stable after the initial positive tests were announced.

Godolphin trainer Saeed bin Suroor is set to assume control of the stables after all of his horses were checked by the BHA and tested negative.

“It is obviously very disappointing that seven further horses have tested positive for stanozolol,” Godolphin racing manager Simon Crisford said. “These results highlight why H.H. Sheikh Mohammed took the decision to lock down the stables at Moulton Paddocks until every Godolphin horse in training at Newmarket had been tested.

“All of Saeed bin Suroor’s horses have tested clear, and we are working with the BHA to put everything back in order at Moulton Paddocks.”

Horse Racing Recap: Godolphin scandal widens with more failed tests is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

(PhatzRadio / CBC Sports) — Mallorca’s hopes of avoiding relegation from the Spanish league were kept alive by a 1-0 win against Real Betis on Monday.

With two rounds left, 19th-place Mallorca is three points behind 17th-place Deportivo La Coruna but with an inferior goal difference.

Mallorca striker Tomer Hemed scored in the 21st minute from close to the penalty spot after goalkeeper Adrian San Miguel saved Victor Casadesus Castano’s initial shot.

Betis stayed seventh in the standings on 52 points.

Mallorca plays Atletico Madrid and Valladolid before the season ends.

Barcelona has already clinched the league title and can match Real Madrid’s 2012 record haul of 100 points by winning its last two matches.

Arsenal grabs final Champions League berth: EPL

(PhatzRadio / CBC Sports) — Arsenal qualified for the Champions League for the 16th straight season after edging Tottenham to fourth place in the Premier League, as Alex Ferguson bowed out as Manchester United manager with a 5-5 draw against West Bromwich Albion.

Laurent Koscielny’s 52nd-minute volley sealed an unconvincing 1-0 for Arsenal at Newcastle, rendering Spurs’ 1-0 victory over Sunderland — courtesy of a late screamer from Gareth Bale — meaningless.

“We celebrated a bit like we had won the championship, which was a bit weird considering the ambition at the start of the season,” said Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, whose team won eight and drew two of its last 10 games of the campaign.

Chelsea finished third — and claimed the last automatic Champions League spot — by beating Everton 2-1 thanks to Fernando Torres’ winner in Rafa Benitez’s last game in charge of the Europa League champions.

With the title fight decided a month ago and three relegation spots already settled, the remaining business was bidding farewell to several icons of English football.

Ferguson was treated to a wild match at The Hawthorns in his 1,500th and last game at United, with his team surrendering a 5-2 lead in the final 10 minutes to draw. While United midfielder Paul Scholes, Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher and Stoke striker Michael Owen all played their final games before retiring.

“I have been here a long time and it has to come to an end sometime,” said Carragher, who ended his 717-game career with a clean sheet in a 1-0 win over last-place Queens Park Rangers.

There were 36 goals on the final day of the season. None better than Bale’s latest match-winner from 35 yards for Tottenham that guaranteed an extremely tense final few minutes in the race for fourth between two fierce north London rivals.

It meant Arsenal needed to hold onto its lead at St. James Park, and when winger Theo Walcott slid a shot against the post in injury time there was still a chance for Newcastle to muster an equalizer. It wasn’t to be for Spurs, though, who missed out on the Champions League on the final day for a second season running.

“It was the most nervous I have ever been,” Walcott said. “We had to dig deep. No one (outside Arsenal) believed we could do this.”

Gareth Bale’s Tottenham future uncertain

Tottenham was in third place and seven points clear of Arsenal after winning the north London derby in March. But not even Bale’s stream of match-winning goals in recent weeks could hold off Arsenal’s end-of-season resurgence, just like last season.

“It is difficult to take. In the end we did what we had to, but Arsenal did their job well and go through,” Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas said. “It is difficult at this moment.”

To make matters worse for Spurs, failing to reach the Champions League will undoubtedly increase the speculation surrounding the future of Bale, who has been linked with many of the world’s top teams after a brilliant season in which he won English football’s Player of the Year award.

After the last game of his trophy-filled reign of almost 27 years, Ferguson went over to bow to the United fans who had backed him as he waited until 1990 to win the first of 38 trophies for the club. The Scot brought Scholes on as a 69th-minute substitute for his 718th match, but a second-half hat trick from Romelu Lukaku denied a farewell victory for Ferguson.

“We’re a little bit frustrated because we wanted to win it for (Ferguson) and Scholesy,” said Javier Hernandez, one of five different scorers for United. “The gaffer is certainly going to remember his last match in charge.”

At Stamford Bridge, the jeers that had characterized Benitez’s interim reign were absent when he took his place in the Chelsea dugout. Unsurprisingly so, considering the team won the Europa League title four days ago and has qualified for the group stage of the Champions League next season.

“It’s been a great experience and I will be sad to leave. It is a pity, as you can see the players are improving — but I will not be here next season” said the unemotional Spaniard, who declined to join his players on a lap of honour. “I have received hundreds of message from Chelsea fans saying thank you.”

His rivalry as Liverpool manager with former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho left Benitez a highly unpopular figure among Blues fans. But his success in also steering the team to FA and League Cup semifinals contributed to an air of appreciation in his final match at the London club.

“Thank you Rafa, we forgive you” read a banner from one young supporter.

Second-place Manchester City lost 3-2 at home to Norwich, while Philippe Coutinho’s superb first-half strike earned Liverpool victory at Anfield. Carragher hit the post with a 40-yard shot after the break.

Kevin Nolan scored a hat trick in West Ham’s 4-2 win over Reading, and Owen rounded off his illustrious career by playing the final 16 minutes for Stoke in a 1-1 draw at Southampton.

“I had one chance and a couple of touches. I was pleased to get out there and say my farewell in one piece,” said Owen, whose career is better known for spells with Liverpool, Real Madrid and Man United. “It has been a pleasure to play this game.”

Also, Fulham won 3-0 at Swansea and relegated Wigan drew 2-2 at home to Aston Villa.

Soccer Recap: Mallorca’s hopes of avoiding relegation kept alive – La Liga, EPL and Serie A is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

(PhatzRadio / SI / AP) — One year ago the Pacers grabbed homecourt advantage and a 2-1 lead in their Eastern semifinal before LeBron James and Dwyane Wade exploded offensively, winning the next three games for Miami en route to the title. Some things haven’t changed: Wade is hurting physically now, as he was last year, and the Pacers will be hoping to exploit their advantage in size. But there are also crucial differences: Miami has a healthy Chris Bosh back in the lineup after he was sidelined during this series last season; the Heat enter this rematch with the confidence of a defending champion; and the Pacers’ leading scorer of one year ago, All-Star veteran Danny Granger, has been injured and replaced by Paul George, a third-year small forward just finishing his first year as an All-Star.

Why The Heat Will Win

They have the league’s biggest star and maybe the three best players in this series (the argument could be made that no Pacer is better than James, Chris Bosh or a healthy Wade). While the Pacers remain a young team around 23-year-old George and 26-year-old center Roy Hibbert, the Heat are brimming with experienced champions and are deeper than last year thanks to the arrival of Ray Allen. As the series wears on and the games enter the final minutes, the Heat defense will make it more difficult for the Pacers to run their offense and create shots for one another. Down the stretch, Miami will have a variety of stars who can create their own shots, led by James, but who will provide that service for Indiana?

Why The Pacers Will Win

Once again they have the opportunity to create mismatches in the paint, where playoff games are traditionally won. They can pound the ball inside to David West and Hibbert, and they can make use of their across-the-board length to defend out to the three-point line while forcing the game to be played to a pace of their liking. This is an unselfish team filled with young aggressive players like their starting backcourt of George Hill and Lance Stephenson. Can the Pacers elevate their level of play as the series grows more intense? That is the big question. Last year when Miami heightened its defense, Hill had trouble entering the ball into the post, and Indiana’s size advantages were negated.

Keep An Eye On

Paul George. Two things (at the very least) must happen to enable a Pacers upset: Wade must perform below expectations, and George must exceed them. The Pacers are going to need someone to lead them down the stretch as Miami’s defense picks up, and that go-to scoring will probably have to be provided by George. It’s asking a lot of a player who wasn’t viewed as a likely All-Star at the start of the season, and it’s why the Heat can win even if Wade isn’t creating shots for himself — because the Pacers don’t have a proven explosive scorer to carry them as the pressure builds.
The Pick

Heat in 6. Its difficult five-game victory over Chicago revealed Miami’s vulnerabilities. But it also toughened the Heat, who needed to play with more urgency after an adversity-free season. Indiana’s size and team defense will create problems, but the Heat will be ready, and they’ll also remember the early 2-1 hole that threatened to swallow them up last year.

INDIANAPOLIS – Pacers forward David West is expected to play Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals at Miami, despite an injured right leg.

Team doctors held West out of Monday’s practice with what coach Frank Vogel described as a calf strain or lower leg strain. He did shoot around with his teammates after practice ended. Vogel said doctors thought it would be best to give West a day off.

Pacers centre Roy Hibbert had his right thumb taped after getting hit in practice. He finished the workout and it is not expected to keep him out of the Miami game on Wednesday night.

Backup forward Jeff Pendergraph did not attend Monday’s workout to attend the birth of his daughter.

Indiana is making its first conference finals appearance since 2004.

NBA Playoffs: Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers preview is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

(PhatzRadio / SI) —- NEW YORK — Last week, a committee led by two future Hall of Fame managers, Joe Torre and Tony La Russa, and legendary Braves executive John Schuerholz made a presentation of ideas at the owners’ meeting about MLB’s consideration of expanded replay. While commissioner Bud Selig called it “a thoughtful presentation,” he also said, “There’s a lot of work to be done,” and, in fact, nothing was decided upon.

Regarding the prospect of expanded replay being implemented for 2014, Torre, the executive vice president of baseball operations, said, “We’re hopeful,” but added, “We’re not going to send something out there just to meet a deadline as opposed to trying to get the best possible way to do this.”

Torre’s approach is the right one. Many fans will argue that this long replay study should have started years ago so that it would already be in place, and they’re right. Baseball is years behind where it should be. But it’s also good for the league to not make a knee-jerk reaction and rush a system just because of some recent on-field events. That the past can’t be changed doesn’t mean baseball should rush the future. The replay system itself won’t be as easily reviewed and corrected as plays on the field will be, and a hastily and poorly concocted replay expansion could jeopardize the trust in and acceptance of the system.

Baseball deserves some credit for not rushing the installation of something this year after Selig said “we’d better” have more replay for 2013. Selig himself acknowledged his own opinion of replay has “evolved,” which is a good thing because as recently as July 2012 he said, “The appetite for more replay is very low.”

Selig said last Thursday, “I’m not going to make any time predictions today,” but at least it was heartening to hear that the replay plans under review are comprehensive.

“We’re considering much more than the trap play and fair-or-foul,” Torre said, adding that only balls and strikes were (rightly) off-limits for replay review.

There are a lot of issues regarding the technology, cost and implementation of expanded replay that still need to be sorted out. Will only TV cameras be used or, perhaps, will tennis’ Hawk-Eye system be used for line calls? Will replay be handled at the league office rather than by on-field umpires (so as to prevent another fiasco like the one in Cleveland with Angel Hernandez)? If so, that’s a costly technological endeavor. If not, then the on-field umpires need training to be equipped to review all the plays they’ll be dealing with. Will managers challenge plays and, if so, will they throw a bean bag from the dugout or jog onto the field?

And once a play is reviewed, there are questions in the game. What if, for instance, there is a runner on first base and a ball hit down the rightfield line is initially ruled foul, but replay proves it was fair. What base is the batter awarded? How about the runner who was already on base? There will necessarily be a judgment call made whether the rightfielder would have cut the ball off for a single or whether it would have rolled to the wall. Should fair/foul calls down the line be akin to a ground-rule double with an automatic two-base award? Such are the intricacies of calls on the field that need to be worked out.

The sport and its fans deserve an expanded replay system that will minimize the number of controversies that distract from the sport, especially since we know the necessary technology exists. Ideally, it’s in play for next year, but at least we know the league is taking the issue seriously and wants to get it right.

Line Drives

• The Blue Jays (briefly) kick-started their offense last week while winning four straight games and becoming the first team this season to score double-digit runs in three straight games.

The outburst coincided with a lineup shift. While struggling to replace the injured Jose Reyes in the leadoff spot, manager John Gibbons just shifted everybody up a place in the order, so Melky Cabrera moved from the 2-hole to No. 1, while Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion inched up from 3-4 to 2-3. Gibbons deserves credit for moving Bautista to a spot where he’ll get on base more and for discarding the antiquated notion that a 2-hole hitter should be a batsmith able to sacrifice and hit-and-run.

“We just bumped everybody up with the thinking to get Bautista and Encarnacion to the plate in the first inning,” Gibbons said. Though Gibbons said sabermetrics was not on his mind, he inadvertently got halfway to a more optimal lineup. Sabermetric theory states that the No. 2 hitter is more important than the No. 3 hitter, because he’ll have more plate appearances over the course of the season, and Bautista is excellent at getting on base. Gibbons could have improved his lineup further, according to sabermetrics, by leaving Encarnacion in the No. 4 hole, which is the lineup spot that typically bats with the most runners on base.

• The Pirates’ Jason Grilli, a first-time closer at 36 who is 17-for-17 in save chances, is a heartwarming story, but so too is his set-up man, Mark Melancon, who was a total bust for Boston last year. Not only does Melancon have 15 holds and a 0.78 ERA in 23 innings, but also he has done so in some seriously high leverage situations.

This season Melancon is second only to Arizona’s David Hernandez for most batters faced in “close and late” situations — and usually doing so against an opponents’ heart of the order by virtue of pitching in the eighth inning (for reasons explained here).

• One of baseball’s best comeback stories belongs to Indians starter Justin Masterson. A year after his ERA (4.93) and WHIP (1.45) were among the majors’ 10 worst, he is now 7-2 in 10 starts, with a 2.83 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, a career-best 9.1 K/9 and two shutouts that puts him in a share of the big league lead with the Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright.

• Braves rookie Evan Gattis, a backup catcher and outfielder, is more than proving his worth in a reserve role. He is 3-for-5 with two homers and a double as a pinch hitter. He smacked a two-run homer in the eighth inning on Saturday to turn a 1-0 deficit to the Dodgers into a 2-1 win for Atlanta.

• On Sunday, Los Angeles Times Angels beat writer Mike DiGiovanna wrote on Twitter, “Just once, I’d like to tweet, ‘Joe Blanton took a no-hitter into the second inning.’” Through nine starts, that hasn’t been the case, as Blanton is 0-7 with a 6.62 ERA and 1.97 WHIP.

Three Up, Three Down: Divisional Strength

With a quarter of the season in the books, we’re starting to get meaningful impressions of how the divisions stack up against one another, and, no surprise, it’s the AL East that ranks on top with the AL West bringing up the rear.

UP

1. AL East

The AL East has four teams with winning records and positive run differentials, and overall the division beats up on everyone it faces: 30-24 against the AL Central, 22-17 against the AL West and 13-6 in interleague play; it even has a winning road record at 57-49.

2. NL Central

The NL Central has three clubs (Cardinals, Reds and Pirates) looking like contenders while the Cubs’ actual record (18-25) is three games worse than their Pythagorean record because they are underachieving on their -3 run differential.

3. AL Central

The Twins, who are tied for last place, entered play last Saturday with a zero run differential for the season, which shows how tightly packed this division is, with all five teams within six games of one another. The Central has the third-best divisional run differential (+70) and third-best divisional winning percentage (.510).

DOWN

4. NL West

The NL West has a winning record against both league counterparts — 26-19 against the East, 22-19 against the Central — but its overall run differential is poor (+2) and it’s also the luckiest division (with the best record in one-run games at 38-31).

5. NL East

The NL East is top heavy, with Atlanta and Washington as stalwarts, New York and Miami as clear also-rans and Philadelphia stuck in the middle, trying to make up its mind. This division has the worst winning percentage (.454)

6. AL West

For at least as long as Oakland is plagued by injuries, this division will be Texas and then everybody else. The AL West has losing records against everyone: AL East (17-23), AL Central (22-33) and the NL (5-8) and the second-worst winning percentage (.457).
Trend to track: Attendance

Attendance across the majors has risen each of the last three seasons, with an average of 30,806 fans clicking the turnstiles in 2012. So far in 2013, however, that has fallen 5.3 percent to 29,185 per game — not that Commissioner Selig is worried at all.

“We’ve lost more games [to postponements] already than all of last year,” he said last Thursday. “We played a lot of games in weather that was really bad, painfully bad. I’m still optimistic that we can pick up a lot. We have a lot of games to make up. So at this point in time, the weather has been so bad that I’m not overly concerned. It’s too early.”

This handy chart at Baseball-Reference.com tracks the year-over-year attendance changes by comparing the attendance over the same number of home dates this season as last season. (Comparing weather in April 2013 to April 2012 is still rough, of course, but it’s better than comparing April ’13 to all of ’12.) It does not, however, account for at least one important attendance variable, which is the number of weekend vs. weekday home games.

Still, it’s the best gauge we have at our disposal, and it shows that 12 teams have seen increases in attendance and 18 have had decreases. Importantly, three of the teams with increases and five of the teams with decreases are showing changes of less than 1,000 fans per game, which is easily reversible.

Weather hasn’t been the only issue, either. The Red Sox and Phillies — both of whom had consecutive sellout streaks into the hundreds until April for Boston and last August for Philadelphia — started to show some decline corresponding to on-field regressions last year. Also, the Marlins have shown a decline of more than 10,000 fans per game thanks to their offseason firesale and the typical decline associated with the second year of a new ballpark.

Some teams, however, have had strong upward movement: the Nationals, Blue Jays, Orioles Dodgers, Angels, Braves and Padres are all showing improvements of 2,500 fans per game or more; only San Diego didn’t have either a great 2012 season or an active offseason.
Another side of . . . Tom Wilhelmsen, Mariners closer

There are seven closers with at least 10 saves who are still perfect in converting opportunities, and surely none remains as anonymous as Seattle’s Wilhelmsen. The 6-foot-6 righthander was out of affiliated baseball and didn’t throw a minor league pitch from the end of the 2003 season until the start of 2010, six years in which he worked as a bartender back in his native Tucson, Ariz., and backpacked around Europe and the U.S. until starting to get back into the game with a local independent team in ’09.

Just as the subjects of Homer’s epic poems had an always-appearing appositive — such as Athena, the grey-eyed goddess — so too is Wilhelmsen likely to be known as “Tom the Bartender,” and after even a short conversation, it’s easy to see why he’s a perfect example of the friendly neighborhood bartender. He recently poured (non-alcoholic) drinks for fans during a visit to the MLB Fan Cave.

Wilhelmsen reached the majors in 2011, assumed the closer’s job midway through ’12 (finishing with 29 saves) and so far this year is 11-for-11. In 18 innings this season he has allowed just one earned run, for a 0.50 ERA, while holding opponents to a .100 batting average after emphasizing a changeup in addition to his upper-90s fastball and curve.

“We get home after a game, I’ll sit with my wife and say, What are we doing?” he said in reflection of his journey. “But this is what we’re doing, so it’s not like a big shock anymore, but it’s still a blessing.”

Wilhelmsen’s passion is travel, and he maintains a map on his iPad with “pins all over the place” of where he wants to visit next, noting that Croatia and Portugal are atop the priority list for now. He and his wife, Cassie, didn’t travel this winter after welcoming their first child, a daughter named Hahna, last August. But before his re-entry into baseball, Cassie accompanied him on most of his backpacking trips. Asked for his favorite destinations, Wilhelmsen named Zion National Park in southern Utah No. 1, with Yosemite and Big Sur as close runners-up.

The final out

As if further evidence were needed that signing 30-something hitters to nine-figure contracts is a bad idea, check this: The Angels have the third-worst in baseball despite having signed sluggers Josh Hamilton and Albert Pujols in the past two offseasons, while the two best records belong to the Rangers (.659) and Cardinals (.651), the clubs that let Hamilton and Pujols leave.

Three Up, Three Down: Divisional Strength

With a quarter of the season in the books, we’re starting to get meaningful impressions of how the divisions stack up against one another, and, no surprise, it’s the AL East that ranks on top with the AL West bringing up the rear.

UP

1. AL East

The AL East has four teams with winning records and positive run differentials, and overall the division beats up on everyone it faces: 30-24 against the AL Central, 22-17 against the AL West and 13-6 in interleague play; it even has a winning road record at 57-49.

2. NL Central

The NL Central has three clubs (Cardinals, Reds and Pirates) looking like contenders while the Cubs’ actual record (18-25) is three games worse than their Pythagorean record because they are underachieving on their -3 run differential.

3. AL Central

The Twins, who are tied for last place, entered play last Saturday with a zero run differential for the season, which shows how tightly packed this division is, with all five teams within six games of one another. The Central has the third-best divisional run differential (+70) and third-best divisional winning percentage (.510).

DOWN

4. NL West

The NL West has a winning record against both league counterparts — 26-19 against the East, 22-19 against the Central — but its overall run differential is poor (+2) and it’s also the luckiest division (with the best record in one-run games at 38-31).

5. NL East

The NL East is top heavy, with Atlanta and Washington as stalwarts, New York and Miami as clear also-rans and Philadelphia stuck in the middle, trying to make up its mind. This division has the worst winning percentage (.454)

6. AL West

For at least as long as Oakland is plagued by injuries, this division will be Texas and then everybody else. The AL West has losing records against everyone: AL East (17-23), AL Central (22-33) and the NL (5-8) and the second-worst winning percentage (.457).

Trend to track: Attendance

Attendance across the majors has risen each of the last three seasons, with an average of 30,806 fans clicking the turnstiles in 2012. So far in 2013, however, that has fallen 5.3 percent to 29,185 per game — not that Commissioner Selig is worried at all.

“We’ve lost more games [to postponements] already than all of last year,” he said last Thursday. “We played a lot of games in weather that was really bad, painfully bad. I’m still optimistic that we can pick up a lot. We have a lot of games to make up. So at this point in time, the weather has been so bad that I’m not overly concerned. It’s too early.”

This handy chart at Baseball-Reference.com tracks the year-over-year attendance changes by comparing the attendance over the same number of home dates this season as last season. (Comparing weather in April 2013 to April 2012 is still rough, of course, but it’s better than comparing April ’13 to all of ’12.) It does not, however, account for at least one important attendance variable, which is the number of weekend vs. weekday home games.

Still, it’s the best gauge we have at our disposal, and it shows that 12 teams have seen increases in attendance and 18 have had decreases. Importantly, three of the teams with increases and five of the teams with decreases are showing changes of less than 1,000 fans per game, which is easily reversible.

Weather hasn’t been the only issue, either. The Red Sox and Phillies — both of whom had consecutive sellout streaks into the hundreds until April for Boston and last August for Philadelphia — started to show some decline corresponding to on-field regressions last year. Also, the Marlins have shown a decline of more than 10,000 fans per game thanks to their offseason firesale and the typical decline associated with the second year of a new ballpark.

Some teams, however, have had strong upward movement: the Nationals, Blue Jays, Orioles Dodgers, Angels, Braves and Padres are all showing improvements of 2,500 fans per game or more; only San Diego didn’t have either a great 2012 season or an active offseason.

Another side of . . . Tom Wilhelmsen, Mariners closer

There are seven closers with at least 10 saves who are still perfect in converting opportunities, and surely none remains as anonymous as Seattle’s Wilhelmsen. The 6-foot-6 righthander was out of affiliated baseball and didn’t throw a minor league pitch from the end of the 2003 season until the start of 2010, six years in which he worked as a bartender back in his native Tucson, Ariz., and backpacked around Europe and the U.S. until starting to get back into the game with a local independent team in ’09.

Just as the subjects of Homer’s epic poems had an always-appearing appositive — such as Athena, the grey-eyed goddess — so too is Wilhelmsen likely to be known as “Tom the Bartender,” and after even a short conversation, it’s easy to see why he’s a perfect example of the friendly neighborhood bartender. He recently poured (non-alcoholic) drinks for fans during a visit to the MLB Fan Cave.

Wilhelmsen reached the majors in 2011, assumed the closer’s job midway through ’12 (finishing with 29 saves) and so far this year is 11-for-11. In 18 innings this season he has allowed just one earned run, for a 0.50 ERA, while holding opponents to a .100 batting average after emphasizing a changeup in addition to his upper-90s fastball and curve.

“We get home after a game, I’ll sit with my wife and say, What are we doing?” he said in reflection of his journey. “But this is what we’re doing, so it’s not like a big shock anymore, but it’s still a blessing.”

Wilhelmsen’s passion is travel, and he maintains a map on his iPad with “pins all over the place” of where he wants to visit next, noting that Croatia and Portugal are atop the priority list for now. He and his wife, Cassie, didn’t travel this winter after welcoming their first child, a daughter named Hahna, last August. But before his re-entry into baseball, Cassie accompanied him on most of his backpacking trips. Asked for his favorite destinations, Wilhelmsen named Zion National Park in southern Utah No. 1, with Yosemite and Big Sur as close runners-up.
The final out

As if further evidence were needed that signing 30-something hitters to nine-figure contracts is a bad idea, check this: The Angels have the third-worst in baseball despite having signed sluggers Josh Hamilton and Albert Pujols in the past two offseasons, while the two best records belong to the Rangers (.659) and Cardinals (.651), the clubs that let Hamilton and Pujols leave.

MLB: Baseball is smart to not rush expanded instant replay is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

(PhatzRadio / AP) — DETROIT – The young Detroit Red Wings have made the mighty Chicago Blackhawks look vulnerable, beating them two straight times to gain an advantage in their last playoff matchup as Western Conference rivals.

Gustav Nyquist and Drew Miller scored 31 seconds apart midway through the second period and Pavel Datsyuk restored a two-goal lead in the third to help Detroit beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1 Monday night and take a 2-1 lead in the second round series.

As good as the Red Wings have looked — scoring six straight goals to earn momentum in the matchup — their hard-driving coach isn’t ready to celebrate.

“We haven’t done anything yet,” Mike Babcock said.

That’s an understatement. If the seventh-seeded Red Wings keep playing like they are, the top-seeded Blackhawks will have a long off-season to wonder what went wrong in a season that looked like it was going to be special.

On Thursday night at home in Game 4, Detroit has a shot to put Chicago on the brink of elimination.

“It takes something like this to slap you in the face, so to speak, to really understand what adversity is and how tough the playoffs can be,” Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said. “A lot of guys in this room have been in tough positions before in the playoffs and that’s never stopped us. We know this is a long series and we’re going to be fighting until the end.”

Chicago’s chances will improve if Toews can end his goal-scoring skid.

He doesn’t have a goal in nine playoff games, dating to last year. He matched Patrick Kane with a team-high 23 goals in the 48-game, lockout-shortened season.

Toews did have a game-high seven shots in Game 3, but Jimmy Howard and his backchecking, shot-blocking teammates wouldn’t let him end his drought.

“I’m not going to let it get the best of me,” Toews said. “I know I’m doing good things. I’m very confident that it’s going to come.”

Kane scored 4:35 into the third period to pull Chicago within one. About a minute later, the Blackhawks celebrated as if they tied the game, but Andrew Shaw’s goal was waved off because he was in the crease.

Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said he disagreed with the call that negated Shaw’s game-tying score.

“He didn’t touch the goalie,” Quenneville said.

And Chicago’s goalie, Corey Crawford, couldn’t touch Datsyuk’s shot 6:46 into the final period that went in and out of the net before he saw it. Crawford finished with 27 saves.

Howard stopped 39 shots.

Chicago has lost consecutive games for the first time in nearly two months.

The Blackhawks began the lockout-delayed season by setting an NHL record with at least a point in their first 24 games, ended it with a league-high 77 points and avoided having a three-game losing streak.

“The team is facing a little adversity and I am on a personal basis,” Toews said. “Not going to let that stop us or me.”

After a scoreless first period in a hot and steamy Joe Louis Arena, Detroit took a 2-0 lead with a pretty goal and a gritty one.

Nyquist patiently carried the puck from right to left and waited for defenceman Brent Seabrook and Crawford to sprawl out to make a shot before shooting the puck into the open net.

“He’s real good at hanging onto the puck,” Babcock said.

Miller crashed the net to stuff the puck into the net after Patrick Eaves got to his own rebound to keep pressure on Crawford. Blackhawks defenceman Michal Rozsival started the sequence with a turnover in the Chicago end.

It was a sixth straight goal for the Red Wings, who lost the series opener 4-1 and gave up the first goal of Game 2 before going on to even the series with a 4-1 victory.

“They’re a real good team and they’re going to carry the play at times,” Babcock said. “We’re a good team and we’re going to carry the play at times.”

NOTES: Babcock won his 77th post-season game, matching Quenneville for the most among active coaches and trailing Pat Burns by one victory for 8th place on the NHL’s all-time list. … Chicago hasn’t given up a power play goal in its first eight playoff games, matching the 2001 St. Louis Blues for the longest such streak since 1988, according to STATS. … The Blackhawks put Viktor Stalberg back in the lineup, and scratched Daniel Carcillo, and Stalberg got shook up early in the game, missing a check and going head first into the boards.

NHL Playoff Roundup: Datsyuk, Miller, Nyquist score to help Red Wings beat Blackhawks 3-1 to take 2-1 series lead is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

(PhatzRadio / SI / BR) — The NFL and NFLPA are on the verge of pushing the NFL Draft back to May and moving the start of the league year to before the NFL Scouting Combine, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Both sides have had dialogue about resetting the league’s calendar in an attempt to create a year-long continuum.

The discussed proposal adjusts the current schedule to begin the NFL Scouting Combine in March and free agency at the beginning of April, with the draft taking place in May. The players and the NFLPA were allegedly stalling at the idea of having free agency being backed up, leaving players with uncertain futures.

According to Schefter, the NFL and NFLPA are close to putting these calendar changes in for the next three years.

Schefter further elaborated on ESPN.com that the league would like to have regional scouting combines leading up to the main NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, rather than the other way around.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network verified Schefter’s report and provided some other insight as to why the league is considering the move:

According to a report by Albert Breer of NFL.com back in March, the union isn’t totally on board with changes to the calendar:

The biggest issue the union and its players have with the calendar, according to the source, is the idea of free agency being backed up further in the year, leaving those players in limbo for longer.

It will be interesting to see what the two sides have done to alleviate these concerns, should the new calendar become effective.

One final note of interest, per Schefter, is that Roger Goodell has the power to change the date of the draft without NFLPA approval but would rather move forward with the union’s blessing.

Given the contention between the NFL and NFLPA in recent years, it’s a smart move by Goodell.

Report: NFL and NFLPA on verge of pushing draft to May, moving start of season up before scouting combine is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

Story Highlights

Miguel Cabrera is on another Triple Crown bid
Barry Bonds says Cabrera is by far the best player in baseball
Cabrera’s career numbers: .320 BA, 332 homers and 1,170 RBI

(PhatzRadio / AP) — It’s probably foolish, if not absurd, to draw comparisons to Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera.

Cabrera, after all, is the greatest player in the game of baseball.

The last time we’ve seen greatness like this is from one of the greatest three players to ever step on a baseball field, and certainly the finest of his generation:

Barry Bonds.

“He’s definitely the best,” Bonds told USA TODAY Sports in a telephone interview Monday. “It’s not rocket science here.

“He’s the best. By far. Without a doubt. The absolute best.”

Bonds, as you might imagine, was aware of Cabrera’s performance a night earlier, when he slugged three home runs against the Texas Rangers to announce, on national television, that his Triple Crown performance in 2012 might have been a mere prelude.

Now, it’s certainly premature, Bonds says, to dare imply Cabrera is as good as him. You can’t make that argument, not with a record 762 homers, seven MVP awards, 14 All-Star appearances and eight Gold Gloves on Bonds’ resume.

“I don’t try to compare me to anybody,” Bonds said. “I was the best on the field. I did more things than he did. My game was different than his game. So comparing him, to me, there’s no comparison.

“He doesn’t have my MVPs. He doesn’t have my numbers. Well, not yet, anyways.

“But does he have that ability? Yes, he does.

“Does he have that gift? Yes, he does.”

Cabrera broke into the big leagues in 2003 when Bonds was winning his sixth MVP award. He’s still just 30 years old. He leads Bonds in every Triple Crown category at the same age, hitting .320 with 332 homers and 1,170 RBI. Bonds had a career .285 batting average with 259 homers and 760 RBI at the same age.

Cabrera’s numbers are eerily similar to Aaron’s at the same age. Cabrera, playing 43 more games, has the identical batting average as Aaron, with 10 fewer homers and 49 more RBI.

It was Bonds who surpassed Aaron atop baseball’s all-time home run list. He won’t be surprised if Cabrera joins him near that summit.

“I love that young kid, I really do,” Bonds said. “If he can stay healthy, and keep accomplishing what he has already, he’s got a chance to have everything I did.

“If he gets there, and has the kind of career I did, hey, I’ll be the first to say:

“Now, you got it all, brother, you got it all.”’

Time will tell if Cabrera will play this game at this same level for another decade, while Bonds simply got better.

He hit a record 73 homers in 2001 at the age of 37, amid allegations that he used performance-enhancing drug at the time, which he has denied. A federal jury acquitted Bonds on three counts he committed perjury in 2003 grand jury testimony regarding steroid use; Bonds’ appeal of a felony conviction of obstruction of justice is still pending.

Weeks before Bonds’ testimony, Cabrera, then 20, helped the Marlins win the 2003 World Series, the first season baseball tested players for performance-enhancing drugs.

That policy has been strengthened considerably in subsequent years, with penalties instituted in 2004, and Cabrera has never run afoul of it. As a result, his body of work should withstand scrutiny far better than players of Bonds’ era, who have been penalized by Hall of Fame voters.

“Miguel will be in that 500-home run category,” Bonds said. “He will have those 3,000 hits. I’ve never seen a young player love the game like he does. You see that passion.

“Unless this guy has some fluke accident, just put it in the book, he’ll be in the Hall of Fame.

“It’s like watching Denzel [Washington] in a movie. Sit down. Watch the show. And enjoy.”

Cabrera is hitting a major-league leading .387, to go along with his 11 homers, major-league leading 47 RBI, 34 runs, 67 hits, 114 total bases, .457 on-base percentage, and .509 batting average with runners in scoring position. That’s just for starters.

Yes, just when Tigers teammate Prince Fielder called Cabrera’s Triple Crown season of a year ago the greatest feat he’ll ever witness, Cabrera just might pull off something even rarer.

Hall of Famers Ted Williams and Rogers Hornsby are the only players in baseball history to achieve two Triple Crowns.

Neither did it back-to-back years.

“Winning a Triple Crown is amazing to me,” Bonds said. “I tried to win a Triple Crown, and couldn’t do it. I tried to do it, I really did, but I had guys like Tony Gwynn in the way.

“So it’s amazing to see him do it once. But to see him do it again, wow, that would really throw me off the charts.

“I couldn’t do it once, and then to see him to do it twice, now that would be shocking.

“Absolutely shocking.”

The closest Bonds came to winning the Triple Crown was in 1993 when he led the National League with 46 homers and 123 RBI. Yet, Bonds’ .336 batting average ranked fourth, behind league leader Andres Galarraga of the Colorado Rockies, who hit .370 at Mile High Stadium.

***

LEYLAND WON’T COMPARE THE TWO

Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland, who managed Bonds his seven years with the Pittsburgh Pirates, refuses to compare the two greats. It’s not fair, he said. To either one of them.

Yet, he says that Bonds is absolutely right, that they each share a gift that few possess: that baseball IQ, which is impossible to quantify.

“There’s no question about it,” Leyland told USA TODAY Sports in a telephone interview. “Miggy has it all together, just like Barry. Totally relaxed at the plate. You can see it. He knows he can hit. That opposite-field power he has, that just boggles the mind.”

Bonds, who still hopes to be a major-league hitting coach, doesn’t want to divulge any trade secrets. If Cabrera wants to divulge his secrets, it’s his right, but why reveal any details to ruin that edge?

“He has got, what you call, the gift,” Bonds said. “I had it. Cabrera knows he has it, too. You don’t try to analyze it. You can’t teach it. You’re born with it. And he’s got it.

“That’s why I enjoy watching him so much, and I couldn’t be happier for him, knowing that he’s taking advantage of that gift.”

It’s not simply the raw talent, eye-hand coordination, or power, Bonds says, but that mental toughness and intellect.

“You guys can analyze it all you want,” Bonds says, “but his hands aren’t quicker than anybody else, or anything else like that. He’s just smarter than anybody else. He knows what he has to do, and can recognize pitches better than anyone.

“People don’t realize he’s the same person he was last year, and the year before that, but he’s got that experience now. It’s hard to explain, but what he does is minimize what a lot of people pile up on themselves. He puts it in a compartment, and utilizes it to the best of ability.

“Without giving you too much information about hitting, that’s what he does.

“It’s no different than Tiger [Woods] on the golf course. Or Michael Jordan on the basketball court. Or Muhammad Ali in the ring. They have that gift too. Ken Griffey Jr. had it better than anybody, but injuries got to him. Same with Alex Rodriguez.

“There are other athletes that have it too, but where they go with it, that’s up to them..

“I wasn’t the best at that part, but I was the best on the field.

“Cabrera is doing it all, as well as anybody I’ve ever seen.”

***

MONSTER-SIZED STATISTICS

The proof lies in the statistics, with Cabrera rarely fooled by a pitch, according to data provided by Inside Edge.

Cabrera is hitting .416 against fastballs, with a league average of .278, and .347 on off-speed pitches, with a league average of .221. He’s hitting .299 with two strikes, compared to the league average of .183. He has swung and missed at fastballs away just 17% of the time, compared to 27% a year ago. He’s also more aggressive this year, swinging 57% of the time on the first pitch, punishing pitchers with a .448 average with three homers.

Tigers assistant GM Alex Avila said he thought he was “signing a perennial All-Star” when he convinced the Marlins to spend $1.8 million on Cabrera, who was 15 the first time Avila saw him play.

“We didn’t think a future Hall of Famer, a Triple Crown winner and an MVP,” said Avila, who moved to the Tigers by the time they acquired Cabrera from the Marlins after the ’07 season.

“What a lot of people don’t realize is the baseball intelligence of this guy. You saw it at a young age. You could see him try to set up pitchers, break down pitches, and what would make him a better hitter. This guy is very, very smart. He knows where guys should be playing on a field, when a manager makes a good or bad decision, and obviously, how to hit.

“When you put that intelligence together, with the physical ability, and figure it all out mentally, it’s pretty freakin’ special.”

Yep, just like that certain All-Star left fielder, who dominated the game from 1990 to 2007, and even Hall of Famer Hank Aaron. Cabrera’s numbers are eerily similar to Aaron’s at the same age. Cabrera, playing in 102 less games, has the identical career batting average as Aaron, with just 34 fewer homers and 46 RBI.

“I love that young kid, I really do,” Bonds said. “If he can stay healthy, and keep accomplishing what he has already, he’s got a chance to have everything I did.

“If he gets there, and has the kind of career I did, hey, I’ll be the first to say:

“Now, you got it all, brother, you got it all.”’

Follow Bob Nightengale on Twitter: @BNightengale

MLB: Bonds on Cabrera: ‘He’s the best,’ but … is a post from: PhatzRadio.com