MSU’s Frazier receives Team USA invitation

STARKVILLE — Adam Frazier’s summer plans are on hold.

The Mississippi State infielder was invited to join the Team USA National Collegiate Team last week, though he was not alerted until the moment he walked off the field following MSU’s three-game sweep of then-No. 5 Kentucky on Saturday.

“It’s nothing I ever expected, for sure,” Frazier said. “I’m excited about going up and playing Cape Cod this summer and when he told me that, it blew my mind. I’m really excited about it. To wear that across my chest is a huge honor.”

read more: clarionledger.com

Mike Slive gets the better of Jim Delany again

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - Mike Slive just sank Jim Delany‘s battleship.

No, wait.

That sounds cute, but it’s not exactly true.

What Slive really did by partnering the SEC with the Big 12 to invent a new made-for-television, money-printing postseason game was build his own bat­tleship.

A Rose Bowl by another name.

read more: al.com

Stephen Strasburg had issue with Hot Stuff ointment in rocky outing

After Stephen Strasburg allowed four runs in four laborious inningsagainst the Padres this afternoon, Nationals Manager Davey Johnson volunteered an unusual postgame revelation. Johnson said Strasburg had applied the analgesic ointment Hot Stuff to loosen up his body, and somehow it had covered an area that would affect the pitcher’s performance.

Read more: washingtonpost.com

Eagles hoping to climb ladder

HATTIESBURG — With just 10 games left in the regular season, Southern Miss will look to make a charge up the Conference USA standings when it travels to Tulane today for Game 1 of a three-game series at Turchin Stadium at 6:30 p.m.

The Golden Eagles (25-19, 9-6 C-USA), who fell to No. 25 Ole Miss 3-0 Tuesday before having Wednesday’s contest against Grambling State postponed because of inclement weather, enter the weekend just two games behind league leader Rice.

read more: ClarionLedger.com

Kate Upton, Mark Buehrle welcome Philip Humber to Perfect Club

Humber also got a text from his former teammate and fellow Perfect Club member Mark Buehrle.

Buehrle said he texted “Welcome to the club!” to Humber after Humber finished the perfect game.

“When we got back to the room, I turned it on after the sixth inning and followed it on the computer. Then they broke in on Fox for that ninth inning and I got to see the end of it,’ Buehrle told reporters, including Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. “I was sitting in my bed nervous, just the anticipation of not knowing what was going to happen, just waiting to see if he’s going to get it. My palms were sweating. I felt like I was more nervous laying in bed yesterday than I was on the mound during mine.”

Read more: CBSSports.com

Mississippi State beats Tennessee 2-1 in 11

STARKVILLE — A sacrifice fly by Mitch Slauter with no outs in the 11th inning drove in the winning run tonight as Mississippi State beat Tennessee 2-1 at Dudy Noble Field to open a three-game Southeastern Conference baseball series.

Pinch-runner Luis Pollorena scored the winning run from third. He was running for Trey Porter, who led off the inning with a double. After Wes Rea reached on a sac bunt, moving Pollorena to third, the Volunteers intentionally walked C.T. Bradford to load the bases and set up a force at any base and home.

Read more: ClarionLedger.com

Mike Matheny Letter To Parents

Message from Kevin Seitzer – Mike Matheny is the new St. Louis Cardinals Manager.  Mike lived with me in Milwaukee his rookie year.  He’s one of the most respected, wonderful people you will ever be around.  Mike coached his kids after retirement and this is a letter to the parents on his team.  This may be the BEST letter I’ve ever read regarding youth baseball and is exactly what “The Mac-N-Seitz Way” is all about.  Please enjoy and help us get there!

Letter from Mike Matheny…..

I always said that the only team that I would coach would be a team of orphans, and now here we are. The reason for me saying this is that I have found the biggest problem with youth sports has been the parents. I think that it is best to nip this in the bud right off the bat. I think the concept that I am asking all of you to grab is that this experience is ALL about the boys. If there is anything about it that includes you, we need to make a change of plans. My main goals are as follows:

Read more: mac-n-seitz.com

As a matter of fact, Congress was right to investigate steroid use by athletes in 2005. That is, if you believed what we were told at the time.

“Kids are dying from the use of steroids,” Rep. Henry Waxman said. “And we have to stop it.”

See? It wasn’t supposed to be about Roger Clemens or Barry Bonds. No, friends, they were doing it for the kids.

If a little television time happened to come along with it, so much the better. Isn’t that wonderful? Your tax dollars at work. Fighting the good fight for the public good.

Read more of “Justice: Congress hasn’t backed up its big talk on steroids” on Chron.com
7.11.11

Baseball scorecards may fade, but not those memories of keeping score with one’s father and grandfather

Michael Kennedy has years of baseball memories stored in his home, each play painstakingly recorded by numbers and lines.

He has scorecards from nearly every game he has attended, going back to the age of 7 when his father and grandfather taught him to keep score. His grandfather has died in the years since, but every line Kennedy draws at a ballgame is a link to him.

indystar.com
6/19/11

The glue that binds fathers and their children is sports

Years ago, I covered the grand opening of a minor league baseball ballpark in California. They’d scrambled to complete the project in time for opening night. So much so that I leaned against a stadium railing while scribbling on my notepad, and walked off a few minutes later with a stripe of dark green paint across my shoulder.
Just before first pitch, I saw an older gentleman with white hair standing in the seats behind home plate. It was what he had in his hands that I noticed: a newborn baby

oregonlive.com
6/18/11