M.L.B. Live!

By now, unless you were stuck in a Utah mine you know that Barry Bonds broke the home run record. Now that the homer chase is finally over, all you fantasy junkies who own Barry wanna know if he'll actually care now that he's broken Aaron's record. ESPN Fantasy Expert Eric Karabell told SprungOnSports that Bonds still has plenty of motivation to succeed:
"I don't see a reason why Bonds will play more or less, then he has the last few months. He wants to keep playing, he want s 3,000 hits. I think his body will hold him back from homering three times a week. I'd expect the same production, the same day off, nothing to change."

Nothing to change, except nobody giving two pieces of vermin infested Angels ballpark food about the Giants and Nationals. They're playing a game, and Bonds has hit another home run, number 757. If the person who caught the ball is getting carried away by "security", call for help. You're getting kidnapped, the ball is not worth that much.

Whatever the Rockies took before today's game against Milwaukee, give me a year's supply. Colorado erupted for 19 runs off of the Brewers and wonderkid Yovani Gallardo and mauled Milwaukee 19-4. Garrett Atkins went 4-4 with a career high 6 RBI's for the Rox, who got 5 solid innings from Jeff Francis for the win.

The Phillies are turning it up a notch as they've won 3 straight with a 6-4 win over Florida. New acquisition Kyle Lohse won it, and returning closer Brett Myers saved it for Philadelphia, and was set up by Tom Gordon. That trio of additions on the mound could guide the Phils back to prominence in the senior circuit.

The Mets got a gigantic win tonight over the Braves 4-3 on a solo job by Moises Alou off of Rafael Soriano in the 8th. John Smoltz and Orlando Hernandez gave their teams' good start, but the Mets regained their 4.5 game division lead by winning the bullpen battle. Luis Castillo drove in 2 and Billy Wagner closed the door for his 26th save.

What do the Dodgers and a fat stripper have in common? They both haven't scored in the last 3 nights. Aaron Harang threw 8 shutout frames, Ken Griffey drove in the game's only run in the 3rd, and David Weathers shut the door on Cincy's 1-0 win over fast fading Los Angeles.

One Wells (David) may be on the outs, but Kip was outstanding as St Louis edged San Diego 2-1. Wells threw 7 shutout innings and outdueled Greg Maddux for the win.

Jose Vidro wanted to make sure that Seattle would get into a tie for the wild card lead. He homered and drove in 4, as the Mariners beat Baltimore 8-4. Jose Guillen also drove in 2 for Seattle.

The struggles of the Cubs continue. Carlos Zambrano got roasted for 7 runs in 5 and two thirds as Houston shredded Chicago 8-2. Roy Oswalt threw 6 shutout frames for the win, and Luke Scott drove in 3 for the Astros.

Detroit was silenced by James Shields over 7 innings as Tampa Bay defeated Detroit 7-1. Carlos Pena, Delmon Young, and Dioner Navarro each drove in a pair for the Rays, who pounded out 16 hits for the win.

Toronto put up 5 spots in the 3rd and 6th innings to steamroll the Yankees 15-4. Chien Ming Wang was beat up for 8 runs in 2 and two thirds as Roy Halladay and the Jays cruised to victory. Vernon Wells drove in 4, Frank Thomas drove in 3, and Hill and Zaun drove in a pair each for John Gibbons. Robbie Cano had 2 homers in the loss.

Tennis Special Report

Is there fixing going on in the sport of Tennis?

Men's players have been the targets of anonymous requests to fix matches. That's what top doubles player Bob Bryan told the Los Angeles Times. This comes after what happened last week in a suspicious match involving top 20 singles player Nikolay Davydenko. A British betting company Betfair had to void all the bets (7 million dollars) in Davydenko's match against Martin Vassallo Arguello of Argentina. Most of the bets were for Arguello, and the wagers were placed after the first set, won by Davydenko. Arguello won the match when Davydenko retired with a foot injury.

"I don't know of any players that ever gambled on Tennis." Bryan said. "But there have been some anonymous calls to players' with some monetary offerings. I know that. And I know every player I've talked to has turned it down. "

Bryan said that these phone calls were isolated incidents. Betting on matches will get players sanctions as severe as a life ban. How bad of a problem can this potentially be? Tennis Magazine's senior editor Peter Bodo told SprungOnSports his opinion on the matter:

"Kudos to Bryan for going public with the sobering concession that players are approached to fix matches." Bodo said. "This is a potentially horrible problem for the ATP, mainly because Tennis like Boxing is an individual sport and is almost impossible to patrol effectively and preventively."

That makes this last week even harder to swallow for fans of the game. As the clay court season in Europe, and the hardcourt season in North America heats up in preperation for the U.S. Open later this month, a cloud of suspicion now hangs over the game in a way that has never before been seen in the sport. If anything fishy happens in any of the matches, it will immediately go under the public microscope as something that might have been fixed or gambled on. Bodo went on to talk about the "the integrity of the game" but said that this situation may not come down to that:

"When you come right down to it, this has nothing to do with the integrity of the game, it has to do with the integrity of the people, some of whom happen to play Tennis. "

To cast an even larger shadow of doubt on Tennis, Bodo said that these kind of things are hard to avoid:

"It is impossible to imagine that with the way the tour is set up, these kinds of low grade betting scams transpiring in small far away places, can be avoided or eliminated. The only thing the ATP can do is demonstrate to the public that it is making a full effort to control the gambling issue as best it can."

This is not the PR that Tennis wanted right before the main summer season, but the fans can comfort in the fact the ATP is taking measures to prevent these things from going on. These scams may be going on right now in small and far away places, but what will happen to the integrity of the sport when an incident occurs at an event like the Rogers Cup (going on this week and next) or even worse a major tournament. Then, Tennis would turn into a sport like Boxing that has no integrity and will quite possibly be ruined forever. Is the game on course for a downward spiral? It will if this betting scandal isn't stopped or control. A few months from now, we might just be saying another sport bites the dust.

A Wild Week It Was

Forget what you see in the headlines. Bonds, A-Rod, Glavine- nothing compared to the week that was and has been so far. Eric Byrnes who has been better than a toasted bagel with cream cheese got a well deserved three year extension. Kerry Wood (that's right this is not a typo) pitched for the first time in over a year and not only was it a perfect inning, but he struck out a batter and didn't get hurt! Lets hear it for Mr. Wood. Not to mention the unrealistic feats of Ryan Braun. His twenty-first home run of the year was after playing less than seventy games and being called up in May. Thats pretty solid if you ask any baseball fan. Braun also has ten stolen bases and a .347 average. Hes on pace to have over one-hundred RBIs and if you dont think he is a Rookie of the Year contender, then you must think Chris B. Young deserves it, and I don't blame you. The guy have been flat out good. No other way to describe his play. With nineteen homers from the lead-off spot and seventeen stolen bases, Young has played and steller centerfield for the first place D-Backs and despite his .240 average, he is defenitly a contender for that prized award. On another D-back note, Justin Upton made his highly awaited debut this week and he was quite impressive and for all of those who thought he wouldn't be here until 2009, well you were wrong. Watch out, this guy will be taken in all of your fantasy leagues within about a week so get him fast before you miss out. Thats all for now. Eat, drink and sleep sports and untill next time, i'm Adam Ehrenreich

M.L.B. Live!

I'll go through some news and preview tonight's games, with some analysis from Joe Morgan in between.

Arizona made an excellent move, resigning Eric Byrnes to a 3 year, 30 million dollar extension. Not only is he batting over .300 with 17 homers, he's an excellent fielder and a fan favorite. Good move all around.

With the milestones that occurred over the weekend with Bonds and A-Rod, I asked Joe Morgan where they would rank among the greatest sluggers of all time:
"Well, they're definitely up in the top." He said. "You've got Babe, Aaron, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson. It's difficult to group them, because the game is different now. The parks are smaller, the balls are livelier, the pitching's not as good. These two guys definitely rank in the top 10." Who's your greatest slugger of all time??

Did you ever eat at Angel Stadium? The food vendors have violated vermin citations over 100 times over the last 2 years. The cleaning crews will now work after the game ends, rather then the morning after. 9 were found at Dodger Stadium and Petco Park- combined over the same time span.

Boston signed Bobby Kielty today, likely marking the end of the road for Wily Mo Pena. The Padres and Pirates are interested according to the Providence Journal.

The Seattle Mariners mascot Mariner Moose will not be in trouble after accidentally hitting Coco Crisp with a vehicle on Sunday, but not injuring him. GM Bill Bavasi apologized to the Red Sox almost immediately afterwards.

Former Major League manager Wally Backman resigned today from the independent Georgia Peanuts after numerous run-ins with umpires, feuds with a radio announcer, and a forfeit after not wanting to come back on the field after a brawl.

On tap for today, Seattle opens up a big series in Baltimore with Jeff Weaver on the mound for the Mariners. Nate Robertson pitches for Detroit against Tampa Bay's Jason Hammel. The Yankees and Blue Jays continue their series up north with Roger Clemens facing Josh Towers. Minnesota looks to climb back into the AL Central race as they send Boof Bonser to the hill in KC against Brian Bannister. Jake Westbrook and John Danks are on the mound as the Indians look to keep their division lead against the White Sox. Gaudin and Gabbard go in Oakland, and Tim Wakefield faces Joe Saunders in a big series in LA.
In the NL, the Phillies look to keep alive in the NL East as Jaime Moyer faces the Marlins and Rick VandenHurk. The Dodgers need to stop their slide in the NL West, they send Mark Hendrickson to the mound against Bronson Arroyo. The Braves have won 6 of 9 against the Mets this season, the 3 New York won were all by Oliver Perez, he faces Buddy Carlyle at Shea. Sean Marshall looks to get the Cubs back on track against Woody Williams and Houston. The Padres wamt to avenge their loss in St Louis, they send ace Jake Peavy against Anthony Reyes. ESPN's Joe Morgan spoke to SprungOnSports about the Cards' chances this season:
"I don't really think they have that good of a chance this season." Morgan said. "But the game's not over until it's over. Their starting pitching is not too good. But that's why they play the games. The games still have to be played."
The Brewers and Rockies are both well in the race, Chris Capuano goes against Jason Hirsh. Micah Owings and Arizona looks to keep their NL West lead, they face Tom Gorzelanny and the Pirates. Barry Bonds looks for home run 756 at home tonight as Barry Zito faces Mike Bacsik. (10pm ESPN2)

That's your M.L.B. Live

M.L.B. Morning

Good morning baseball lovers! Before we get to yesterday's scores, an update on Alfonso Soriano. After further tests on his quad, a small tear was shown and the Cubs superstar will be out at least until Labor Day. "The latest from the MRI was that there is a small tear in the quad" Said Lou Piniella. He went on to say that Soriano will be out 4-6 weeks.

In more bad news for the Cubbies, Eric Munson hit an RBI single in the 10th to lead the Astros to a 2-1 win over Chicago. The Cubs remain one game behind Milwaukee in the NL Central, who fell to Colorado 6-2. Brad Hawpe homered and drove in 3 for the Rockies, who gained a game on 2nd place San Diego. The Pads fell 10-5 to St Louis on Monday Night Basball, Scott Rolen homered and drove in 3 for the Redbirds, who are 7 game out in the NL Central. The Rockies are 5 games behind first place Arizona, 3 games behind San Diego. Barry Bonds went 0-3 last night in his quest to break Hank Aaron's home run record, and a Randy Winn single in the 11th led the Giants to a 3-2 win over Washington.
The Yankees continue to make a run at the Wild Card. New York logged a come from behind win over Toronto 5-4 yesterday at the Rogers Centre. They remain a half game back of Detroit, who scored 4 in the 7th off of Gary Glover to defeat Tampa Bay 6-4. BJ Upton homered and drove in 3 in the loss for the Rays. Fernando Rodney pitched a scoreless 8th for the Tigers, which is a good sign for their struggling bullpen. Detroit is a half game back of first place Cleveland in the AL Central, who got a complete game 4 hit shutout from Paul Byrd in a 4-0 win over Minnesota. The Twins are 5.5 game out of first place. The Yankees are now within 6 games of first place Boston in the AL East, the Red Sox fell 4-2 in Anaheim against the Angels. Curt Schilling allowed the 4 runs in 6 innings in his return from injury and suffered the loss. Casey Kotchman drove in 2 for the Angels, who now take a 4 game lead on Seattle in the AL West. Oakland got RBI singles from Mike Piazza and Mark Ellis in the 13th as they outlasted Texas 9-7. Marco Scutaro homered and drove in 4 for the A's.

Eric Hinske was placed on the bereavement list by Boston, Colorado optioned Chris Ianetta to AAA, and the Angels activated Erick Aybar from the DL. Fred Lewis was optioned by the Giants, and Mike Maroth was placed on the DL.

David Wells could soon be dropped from the Padres rotation, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. The Twins are trying to trade for Mike Piazza, according to the St Paul Pioneer Press. Bobby Kielty will sign with Boston, meaning that Wily Mo Pena's days are numbered, says the Providence Journal. The signing deadline looms, but the Houston Chronicle reports that Astros GM Tim Purpura is still hopeful that they'll ink their top 2 picks.

M.L.B. Live!

Live!
The Yankees edged out Toronto 5-4 this afternoon to pull into a tie for the Wild Card lead in the AL. Mariano Rivera struck out the side for the save. The call up of Joba Chamberlain is expected soon as Mike Myers was designated for assignment, and replaced with Jim Brower who recorded an out this afternoon.

In a sport where the refs have so much power on the impact of a game, the M.L.B. umps rejected having background checks calling the request a "knee jerk witch hunt" in response to the NBA referee scandal. I think that it'd be a good PR move for the umps to allow it, but it would obviously be an invasion of their privacy. The NFL already does it, and it appears that they'll be the only ones.

Alfonso Soriano got injured last night during Live, and will miss 2-4 weeks with a strained quad. Kerry Wood returned and pitched a scoreless inning for the Cubs, but the Cubbies lost 8-3.

Tom Glavine got his 300th win in that game, and is only the 5th lefty all time to achieve that feat.

Barry Bonds will try to break the record against Washignton against rookie John Lannan tonight (10pm ESPN2).

Buster Olney gave a report of the White Sox claiming Miguel Tejada off of waivers, but was pulled back as they were unable to work out a trade. Mike Piazza was placed on waivers and cleared through, so he can be dealt. The St Louis Post Dispatch reports that Jim Edmonds would be open to a trade if it helps the Cards out. Bobby Kielty is weighing his options, but he's likely to sign with Boston. He's gotten offers from the Red Sox, Yankees, D-Backs, and Astros are all interested according to the Boston Herald. A fairly large roster shuffle could happen to the Reds by tomorrow, says the Cincinnati Inquirer.

After giving up 755, Clay Hensley was optioned to AAA by the Padres. The Cubs brought up prospect Eric Patterson to replace Soriano, and Wade Miller was released. Melvin Mora was activated from the shelf, and he may be dealt according to scouts.

On tap for tonight, Justin Verlander tries to get Detroit back on track against the Rays, and Cleveland finishes a big series in Minnesota. Curt Schilling makes his return in Anaheim against Jered Weaver. David Wells and the Padres are in St Louis (7pm ESPN), and Rich Hill and the Cubs start a series in Houston. Milwaukee starts a series against the Rockies, followed by Bonds against the Nats.

Today in the minor leagues, AJ Burnett struck out 7 in 5 innings as AAA Syracuse edged Ottawa 5-4 in 13 innings.

M.L.B. Live!

All the latest baseball news with SOS analyst Andrew Livingston.

SOS- The main topic that has to be discussed first is Barry Bonds, who hit 755 yesterday. What do you think of his historic yet controversial feat?
AL- First of all, congrats to Mr Bonds and his family. 2nd of all, Bonds is a product of our time, and that's it! We have to come to the realization that there will always be a question mark with this record, and nothing will change that.
SOS- So you're Ok with the fact that this record will be shrouded in controversy?
AL- The fact is that Hank Aaron was never beloved, and the media is making it seem like he was the most beloved player. In 20 years, they may legalize steroids, we don't know. We can't do anything about it, and we should just accept the fact that he owns the record. When more information comes out about the allegations, we'll deal with it then.
SOS- Firstly, in 20 years Barry Bonds will still be a controversial figure, but he may not be the home run king anyway. His heir apparent Alex Rodriguez smashed his 500th homer on the same day, coincidence or a sign of things to come?
AL- A-Rod bottoms out at 589, and a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. He needs at least another 256, that's a lot of home runs and you never know. On a side point, Soriano just came up lame on a rally ending play! Wow, he'll have to come out of the game.
SOS- Just when the Cubs are starting to gain some steam, and the Brewers seem to be running out of gas, but we could get to that later. A-Rod has been averaging 46 homers a year without any signs of slowing down, will he actually do it, or will his career be riddled with injuries like Junior Griffey?
AL- Well, a big issue is where A-Rod will end up. Will he stay with the Yanks, or will he sign elsewhere? After that happens, we'll get a better picture.
SOS- Do you think that he'll command over 30 million a year?
AL- No question. If he wants 30 million a year for Teixeira, he'll probably command 35-38 million.
SOS- There's no chance that Teixeira gets 30 million a season.
AL- Boras is pushing for it...............
SOS- What team would pay that kind of money?
AL- Well, who's the Yankees first baseman after Giambi? You always have to take that into consideration.
SOS- The Boss is taking the luxury tax into account. He's passed up on Pedro and Carlos Beltran in the past, I think that the Yankees aren't going in that direction anymore. Speaking of the Yanks, they're within a half game of the wild card after a win over the Royals.
AL- It's absolutely shocking. Seattle and Detroit keep losing, and New York keeps winning with solid pitching and great hitting.
SOS- I don't know if Seattle and Cleveland have what it takes for the long haul, and Detroit's bullpen is in trouble. They need Zumaya and Rodney back in a big way, especially since Todd Jones has been getting hit around as of late. The Yankee bullpen has been bad also, but their offense is compensating right now. The Cubs are playing well in the NL, and the Brewers are falling apart. What's their story?
AL- The Brew Crew have blown an 8.5 game lead in their division, and they're fighting in the clubhouse. Cordero can't pitch anymore, Hall and Hardy can't hit, I just don't get it. The only plus is Ryan Braun, ROY no question.
SOS- It's obvious that they need Ben Sheets back and quick.
AL- Very quick.
SOS- Let's talk about the NL West. Arizona comes out of nowhere to take the lead, San Diego and the struggling Dodgers are right on their heels, and even the Rockies are hanging around. Why are the Snakes being so successful right now?
AL- Webb is really picking up his game, and so are the rest of their starters. And now they've called up their 19 year old phenom Justin Upton.
SOS- They also picked up Jeff Cirillo and BK Kim. Who do you think comes away with the division and why?
AL- The Dodgers will have their hitters jell together and their players will get healthy.
SOS- That's all the time we have for today, try to come back soon Andrew. M.L.B. Live is done every day here on SprungOnSports.

Sunday Football Fix

Was that Michael Irvin crying? That can only happen in Canton. The Playmaker, Thurman Thomas, Bruce Matthews, Roger Wehrli, Gene Hickerson, and Charlie Sanders all had illustrious careers and were enshrined in the Pro Football Hall Of Fame. They all had their amazing moments and memories in their careers, and their fans always had those memories in their heads of their best achievements. What are your thoughts on these players and performers? I'd like to hear your thoughts and opinions.

Training Camp News
- The Raiders had their first intrasquad scrimmage of the year, and the defense once again outplayed the offense. QB Andrew Walter played poorly, but coach Lane Kiffin had a lot of praise for his D: "I felt the defense really showed up today." Kiffin said. "There was a lot of tempo, energy, hitting, and flying around. I was very pleased with them."
- Travis Henry had a hip pointer yesterday, among 12 Broncos who had minor injuries yesterday.
- Herm Edwards had to end the Chiefs-Vikings scrimmage 45 minutes early because the KC offense was fighting with the Minnesota defense. At least there was passion there.
- Marc Colombo debuted at Cowboys camp yesterday, the first time this year that Dallas' highly paid O-Line was able to practice together.
- Bears rookie RB Garrett Wolfe returned yesterday from a hamstring injury. Cedric Benson was given the day off, and Adrian Peterson played with the first team.
- The 49ers defense is playing well thus far in camp, and newcomers Nate Clements and Tully Banta-Cain have been the tone setters.
- The Colts terminated the contract of Corey Simon.
- The Steelers and Saints will kick off the preseason tonight in Canton on the NFL Network.
- Carolina finally signed rookie Jon Beason to a 5 year contract that includes 6 million in guarantees and a 3.2 million dollar signing bonus. The Chiefs have come to terms with first round pick Dwayne Bowe, and JaMarcus Russell, Darrelle Revis, and Brady Quinn are the only remaining holdouts.