According to multiple news sources, Dodgers slugger Manny Ramirez has tested positive for a banned substance, and will begin serving the fifty game suspension.

Ramirez, arguably the highest-profile player to fail the test, released the following statement;

Recently I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was OK to give me. Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under the policy that mistake is now my responsibility. I have been advised not to say anything more for now. I do want to say one other thing; I've taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past five seasons. I want to apologize to Mr. McCourt, Mrs. McCourt, Mr. Torre, my teammates, the Dodger organization, and to the Dodger fans. LA is a special place to me and I know everybody is disappointed. So am I. I'm sorry about this whole situation.

Jeff Kent is retiring from baseball.

We'd like to say good riddance.

As an ardent fan of baseball, we'd like to step in and offer you some advice on how to get your career back on track.

We remember you as that fleet footed 19 year old who almost single handedly ruined the 1996 Yankees season. You killed them in the World Series, only to lose to destiny and the fact that God loves the Yankees more than the Braves.

You used to be a human highlight reel, Gold Glove center fielder. You crushed baseballs.

Now, the Dodgers are trying to pay you to stay away from them.

We'd like to offer sure-fire advice that'll get you where you want to be.

1. Change your name: How are people supposed to take you seriously when you can't even spell "Andrew" correctly? In order to show people that you're still a team player, show them that there's no "U" in Andrew.

2. Get off the Michael Phelps diet: Yes you both are athletes, but that's where the similarities end. Just because you and Phelps both play a sport, doesn't mean you have to share the same eating habits.

3. Go on Oprah: Let her do that Oprah thing she does on you. Then you're money.

4. Check your bat for termites: You do realize that you're strikeout to hits ratio for the past 2 combined seasons is 2:1. There couldn't possibly be anything wrong with you, your swing, your mental attitude while at bat, or the fat that you may be way to fat to physically swing a bat. There are obvious signs that wood burrowing bugs have infected your bats, causing the ball to sail right through your swing.

5. Acquire a new fan base: You should start attempting to attract a new set of fans; namely baseball fans that are blind or deaf. That way they won't be able to see how bad you suck or hear you suck out loud.

Well, any way, we hope these tips help you out. We'd hate to see your career end up with you being rolled out of Dodger Land by a bunch of Animal Activists trying to roll a beached whale back into the ocean.

-With Love and Respect
108 Red Stitches

After seeing their star reliever Joe Nelson jump ship and head over to the Tampa Bay Rays, the Florida Marlins countered with the signing of RHP Scott Proctor.

The Marlins and Proctor agreed to a $750,000, one-year contract with an additional $250,000 in incentives.

Proctor battled elbow ailments last season, posting a 6.05 ERA in 38 2/3 innings pitched. Some have predicted these elbow issues, as he was often overworked by manager Joe Torre while in New York and later in LA.

Proctor's signing has made this fan glad he's found a new home.

The Angels have found their man whom they hope will replace the single season saves leader Fransisco Rodriguez; and that man just happens to hail from Colorado.

The Angels agreed to a two year deal with 33 year old left handed closer Brian Fuentes (1-5, 30 saves in 34 chances, 2.73 ER).

According to ESPN.com Fuentes will earn $8.5 million for 2009 and $9 million for 2010. The contract includes a $9 million vesting option for 2011, based on games finished, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney.

The Chicago Cubs continued to tweak their roster, trading away fan favorite Mark DeRosa to the Cleveland Indians for minor league pitchers Jeff Stevens, Chris Archer and John Gaub.

DeRosa fills the Indian's void over at the hot corner, and allows them to keep their young middle infield intact (GM Mark Shapiro considered moving shortstop Jhonny Peralta to third and Asdrubal Cabrera from second to short.)

The Cubs are also considering a trade for the Rockies Luis Vizcaino in exchange for Jason Marquis. According to ESPN; The 30-year-old Marquis was 11-9 for Chicago last season, with a 4.53 ERA in 167 innings while Vizcaino, 34, struggled in his first season in Colorado, pitching to a 5.28 ERA in 46 innings.

The Baltimore Orioles signed left handed starter Mark Hendrickson to a one year deal. The Orioles only have Jeremy Guthrie slated in their rotation, as Daniel Cabrera signed on with the Washington Nationals.

Rumor Mill:

The Mets may have made an offer to free agent starter Derek Lowe.

Mets and Dodgers talking trade? Andrew Jones could be wearing blue and orange next season.

Dodgers are looking to get their offseason shoping list Dunn.

The Rangers added three arms into the mix for bullpen help.

Aaron Miles is set to replace DeRosa.

Mark Loretta packed his SPF 40 and left his shit kickers back in Houston, as the two time all star heads west to join the LA Dodgers, according to an espn.com news report.

The deal is believed to be worth $1.4 million, for one season. The deal will be finalized as long as Loretta passes a physical.

According to MSN's Ken Rosenthal, the Bombers are talking trade with the LA Dodgers, and Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera seem to be the topic of conversation:

As the Dodgers try to resolve their infield, they are again talking to the Yankees about a trade for second baseman Robinson Cano. The teams have resumed their discussions about Cano at the winter meetings, according to one source.

The Dodgers also are interested in Yankees center fielder Melky Cabrera, and the Yankees likely would want outfielder Matt Kemp and pitching in return.

The Dodgers' interest in Cabrera is a sign that they might not be confident of Andruw Jones making a strong return in 2009. The Dodgers also need to find a match for Juan Pierre, who has requested a trade.

According to a news article posted by the Los Angeles Times, Dodgers second basemen Jeff Kent is apparently supporting the YES on PROP 8 campaign. PROP 8, if passed, would ban same-sex marriages that would impose a California constitutional amendment that would define marriage as being between one man and one woman:

Jeff Kent, who played second base for the Los Angeles Dodgers this season, has stepped into the emotional world of same-sex marriage, giving $15,000 to backers of the California proposition on Tuesday's ballot that would ban it.

In a disclosure filed with the California secretary of state, Kent listed his occupation as professional baseball player for the Dodgers and his address as Austin, Texas. He gave the $15,000 in a transaction dated Monday but which only now is public.

The Phillies finished off the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 last night, setting the NL West Champs down in convincing fashion.

The Phillies controlled almost every aspect of the game throughout the series; timely hitting, solid pitching, a great bench (see Stairs, Matt), and a lights out bullpen.

Joe Torre's team had no answer for Utley, the 'Flying Hawaiian", Jimmy Rollins, Cole Hammels, and Brad Lidge. Charlie Manuel out-managed Torre, making all the right moves when necessary.

The Phillies now await the winner of the Rays/Red Sox Series, with Tampa Bay leading the series 3-1.

Angels pitcher Jered Weaver had a hand in the a no hitter yesterday, but also found himself on the losing side of the ball game. Here's an excerpt of the story from ESPN News Services:

LOS ANGELES (ESPN.com news services) -- Jered Weaver and Jose Arredondo combined to no-hit the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night -- and it still wasn't good enough for the Los Angeles Angels.

The Dodgers became the fifth team in modern major league history to win a game in which they didn't get a hit, defeating the Angels 1-0. Weaver's error on a slow roller led to an unearned run by the Dodgers in the fifth.Weaver downplayed the fact the Angels lost without giving up a hit."Any loss, no matter what, is tough," he said. "I'm sure you guys are going to eat this up a lot more than I am. I don't call it a no-hitter for me. I only went six innings." The Dodgers' Joe Torre thought it might've been his weirdest win as a manager."I'd really have to reach down, and I don't really remember too much, but that's about as bizarre as you can get," he said.With the Angels trailing in the interleague game at Dodger Stadium, Weaver was pulled for a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning after throwing 97 pitches. Arredondo pitched the next two innings.

ESPN's Fantasy Department recently ran an article explaining how and why washup and never drafted Aubrey Huff will outperform a rising star and over paid for Evan Longoria. While the evidence is there, we don't totally agree with Huff outperforming Longoria, but we do have our own list of overbid and underpaid:

Nick Swisher vs. Andre Ethier

Swisher has been slow to perform this season (fantasy wise) batting a sub par .268. Not the greatest batting average for a lead off hitter. He's been extremely streaky (2-12 in one stretch followed by a 4-10 current stretch) and his power isn't there just yet. Sure he's scored a bunch of runs (11) because he's hitting in the lead off spot, but lets be honest, I didn't draft Swisher because he scores a lot. Note; he is still Selective Swisher, walking 12 times so far this season.
Here's a fun stat: Percentage of Fantasy Leagues With a Team That Owns Nick Swisher: 100%

Andre Ethier, on the other hand, is only owned in 80% of the same leagues (ESPN Fantasy) and is outperforming Swisher; .308 BA, 2 HR, 11 RBI, and has a stolen base.

Are we saying that Ethier is a better player than Swisher? No, not really. We're just pointing out the oddity of dissimilar players putting up similar numbers and being drafted on opposite ends of the board.

Frustrating is the life of a fantasy league team owner. He carefully selects a player he hopes will bat third or fourth in a semi-potent White Sox lineup, only to find out Swisher will be batting leadoff, and some other owner gets lucky by drafting a fourth string outfielder who supplants Juan Pierre in the Dodger batting order.

Today is Jackie Robinson day, and to celebrate, ESPN Research writer Mark Kelly put together this fascinating look (by the numbers) at Jackie Robinson's career and life. Here are the first 10, and if you want to see the rest, click here.

By Mark Kelly, ESPN Research

1 MVP award and Rookie of the Year award won.

2 Number of World Series HRs

3 Number of ABs in his first game

4 Number of sports lettered in at

UCLA

5 The youngest of 5 children

6 Number of World Series appearances

7 Number of seasons he scored 99 or more runs Inning that he stole home in
Game 1 of 1955 WS

8 More runs than strikeouts in World Series career

9 Number of times he was hit by a pitch in rookie season

10 Number of seasons in MLB.

To continue reading this list, click here.

In what seems to be one of the most anticipated announcements coming out of Spring Training, Dodger skipper Joe Torre officially announced that Andre Ethier will start in left field, leaving Juan Pierre without a job.

Courtesy of Rotowire.com:

Ethier has won the Dodgers' starting left field job over Juan Pierre, the LA Daily News reports.
Spin: Ethier clearly had the better spring and is a better hitter than Pierre. Just because he won the battle now, don't assume that he's completely out of the woods here. A slow start might force manager Joe Torre to play Pierre more often.

The slow start would mean Ethier would have to bat worse than .173, Pierre's contribution to the Dodgers' offense this spring. We're willing to bet that Ethier could bat .150 with a blindfold on. It's going to take a lot on Pierre's end to regain his starting role.

Torre has faced a similar situation involving young outfielders replacing veterans (Google search Melky/Damon). He was able to gracefully handle the situation, partially because Damon could still hit water if he fell out of a boat.

Pierre's throwing arm is suspect too. Initially we thought he was using his left arm to toy with base-runners. Apparently, he's not kidding when he throws the ball.

Pierre's future may lie with actions of Dodger GM, Ned Colletti. There are a handful of teams that could use a speedy leadoff hitter like Pierre, that's assuming that Pierre fulfills his end of the bargain by approaching at least the Mendoza line.

Last Season's Record: 82-80
108 Red Stitches Projected Finish: 3rd NL West
Major Offseason Acquisitions:
- Andrew Jones: CF
- Hiroki Kuroda: RHP

Major Offseason Losses:
- Randy Wolf: LHP
- Mark Hendrickson: LHP

Bringing Joe Torre over from the Yankees during the offseason sent a wonderful message to the veterans in the Dodger's organization: "Time to start cashing in on that retirement plan".
Torre will not put up (for long) with the organizational tendency to give playing time to their rustier parts. Torre coming in will usher in a youth movement in LA.
Curious is the decision to sign guys like Jason Schmidt and Hiroki Kuroda, while LA has arms like Chad Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw. LA also has guys like Andy LaRoche and James Looney that need to get more at bats, in order for LA to win ballgames.
Until LA fully commits to an overhaul and a youth movement, the old and the new will continue to butt heads and keep LA out of the playoffs.

Name: Clayton Kershaw
Organization: LA Dodgers
Position: Pitcher
Born: 3/19/1988
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
Drafted: 2006, 1st Round, 7th Overall


Mixing in the wily veterans with a youth corps, the Dodgers are more than excited over the prospects of this 20 year old lefty tossing the pelota in Chavez Ravine this season. Scout Magazine lists him as the number one prospect in the Dodger organization, ahead of masher Andy Laroche and Double A reliever of the year award winner Jon Meloan.

Kershaw started his career in Low A-Ball (Great Lakes) and finished last year in Double A Jacksonville. Kershaw was a combined 8-7, but had an ERA of 2.95 , and batters hit at a .204 clip against the southpaw.

Will Kershaw be wearing Dodger blue this season? It depends. If he comes out firing on all cylinders in Vero Beach or if a Dodger starter gets hurt early in the season, there's reason to believe Kershaw will be considered for a call up.

With arbitration hearings underway and Baseball just weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting, things seems to be going just fine for a league troubled with the media frenzy that followed the release of the Mitchell Report.

Just fine that is, as long as you aren't Mike Lieberthal. Phillies and Dodger catcher of fourteen seasons decided to hang up his spikes saying " "There were a lot of reasons, the money was great as a backup, but I have made [enough] money in baseball. I just didn't want to go through what I have to go through with my body to play 20-25 games a year."
The Dodgers were obviously shaken up with Lieberthal's announcemen; they quickly signed backup catcher Gary Bennett to a one year deal.

The Dodgers also extended spring training invites to two left handed (Tom Martin and Mike Myers) relievers in attempts to solidify their bullpen.

In arbitration news, Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano signed a six year deal believed to be worth 56 million dollars, keeping him in pinstripes through the 2011 season (2012 and 13 are option years for the Yanks).

In what should be this off season's most exciting arbitration hearing, the Phillies have set a February 20th date to discuss Ryan Howard's current contract situation.

Continued from Part II of the week long tribute to African American ballplayers in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Officials weren’t the only ones who were leery of having a Negro play in the majors. Some of the Dodgers, in a movement spearheaded by second baseman Dixie Walker, began “plotting” against the idea of having Robinson in a Brooklyn uniform. Once manager Leo Durocher caught wind of their intentions, he quickly called a team meeting and told the rebels “I don’t care if the guy is yellow or black, or if he has stripes like a fucking zebra. I’m manager of this team, and I say he plays. What’s more, I say he can make us all rich. An’ if you can’t use the money, I’ll see that you’re traded” (Golenbock; 18).

The white press would continue to attack Rickey and Robinson, especially writers from the Deep South. Atlanta Journal sports editor Ed Danforth wrote “I don’t see why a top flight Negro ballplayer would be so anxious to play in the white leagues when he is doing so well in his own organization” (Tygiel; 74). “George White of the Dallas News described the Dodger action as ‘unfair’ to both Robinson and the South, where an established way of life was threatened” (Tygiel; 74).

The black press would begin to levy an unfair burden upon Robinson’s shoulders. They saw Robinson as a figure head that would spearhead a Civil Rights movement. “Sam Lacy cast Robinson in the role of a greater ‘national benefactor’ than President Truman. ‘Alone Robinson represents a weapon far more potent than the combined forces of all our liberal legislation,’ contended Lacy” (Tygiel; 75). Wendell Smith, a prominent figure in the black media, wrote that Robinson had “the hopes, aspirations, and ambitions of thirteen million black Americans heaped upon his broad, sturdy shoulders” (Tygiel; 75).

Robinson officially broke the color barrier in baseball on Opening Day of the 1947 season. The Brooklyn Dodgers played the Boston Braves at Ebbets Field in a game that “went off without a hitch”. Arthur Daley, of the New York Times wrote of the game;

“The debut of Jackie Robinson was quite uneventful, even though he had the unenviable distinction of snuffing out a rally by hitting into a remarkable double play. [...] The muscular Negro minds his own business and shrewdly makes no effort to push himself. He speaks quietly and intelligently when spoken to and already has made a strong impression.” (Daley; 32).

It wasn’t until the series with the Braves ended that Robinson began to face the racism that would follow him throughout his career. The Philadelphia Phillies followed the Braves into Brooklyn, and led by their manager Benjamin Chapman, began to verbally assault Robinson with everything they had;

“And Jackie Robinson was a nigger. He was also snowflake and Little Black Sambo. He was accused of sleeping with the white wives of his teammates. He was told he was spreading contagious diseases among his teammates, and his teammates were browbeaten with that time-honored phrase of bigots-nigger lover. The intensity of the attacks were beyond what anyone had ever heard. Chapman vilified Robinson every chance he had. [...] The language was so vile that National League President Ford Frick ordered Chapman to cease and desist.” (Allen; 130-31).

Chapman would later blame Robinson for keeping him out of the Hall of Fame, and pointed to this incident as “bad press” for his career. In his biography written by Arnold Rampersad, Robinson recalled the series with the Phillies and described it as one he would never forget. Robinson wrote;

“Tuesday April 22, 1947, off all the unpleasant days in my life, brought me nearer to cracking up that I ever had been.’ Starting to the plate in the first inning, I cold scarcely believe my ears. Almost as if it had been synchronized by some master conductor, hate poured forth from the Phillies dugout. Hey nigger, why don’t you go back to the cotton field where you belong? They’re waiting for you in the jungles, black boy! Hey, snowflake, which one of those white boys’ wives are you dating tonight?
We don’t want you here nigger. Go back to the bushes!” (Rampersad; 172).

And Chapman, the ring leader, wondered why he was never inducted into the Hall of Fame.

To be continued.

Good news loyal 108 Red Stitches blog readers! I've finally come out of my self induced baseball coma, one that kept me from writing for the past month.
So, what'd I miss?

Red Sox won the World Series? Did this coma transport me back in time?

Haha, you're funny, no way the Yankees "fired" Joe Torre.

Don Mattingly is going to be a Dodger? Are they really that hard up for a first baseman?

I'm sorry, the nurses must not have cleaned the wax out of my ears while I was napping, could you repeat that? A-Rod opted out? Did you say opted out, like, of his contract? So he's not going to be playing for the Yankees next season?

How will that effect next year's version of MLB 2K8? A-Rod will still be on the Yanks roster right? I want him breaking Bond's record while wearing pinstripes.

Did you just say that San Fransisco gave Bonds his walking papers? Well, that's nice. Good for San Fran.

He wants to sign with who?!?! Oh, Cashman has another thing coming if he signs that jerk.

Are we still talking about baseball? Because you mentioned instant replay for a minute there.

The Mets didn't fire everyone on their team?

The Phillies traded for Brad Lidge? What's the point of playing next year then? Might as well print off those championship t-shirt. Lidge solves EVERYTHING.

Really, so Tampa Bay gave up on the whole Devil thing? So you think that'll be the thing Peter Gammons points to when the "Rays" are leading the AL East?

I'm sorry, I thought you said the Devil sold his soul to Scott Boras.

The baseball season is getting down to the wire, and its time to take a look at past and potential acquisitions that will or have helped a team in its push to make the playoffs. Need to seal up that division title? Looking to squeak in through the Wild Card Door? Check out these players that have helped or can help your team in the final weeks of the season. (Impact is based on a scale of 1-5, 5 being the highest rating)

1. Atlanta Braves: Woah! Has Mark Teixeira re-found his power stroke! Possibly the best acquisition for any team in baseball, Teixeira cost the Braves a lot in terms of mortgaging their future, but has paid off in full. Teixeira shores up a weak spot in the Braves lineup offensively and on the field as well. He just recently hit 4 home runs in 2 games, and has been a spark plug, igniting the Braves lineup.
Impact:

2. NY Mets: With Damion Easley out for what could be the rest of the season, the Mets were quick to pull the trigger on a deal to land veteran outfield Jeff Conine from the Reds. Conine adds playoff experience to a team that floundered last season in the finals against the Cardinals. This could be a big payoff for the Mets, now that Conine has something to play for. He can spell any of the corner outfielders and corner infielders, which is something Willie Randolph needs to prepare for the postseason.
Impact:

3. Phillies: Get one, lose one. Things started to look bright for the Phils when doctors cleared Chase Utley to begin throwing and swinging on a regular basis. Then Cole Hamels hurt his elbow, and is expected to miss 2 starts as he heads to the DL. Utley is a welcome addition to any lineup, but losing your ace can't be good.
Impact:

4. Yankees: Get out the way old man! The Yanks have injected life into their cranky, stiff bones with the recent call ups of Joba Chamberlin, Shelley Duncan, Edwar Ramirez, and the return of Phil Hughes from the 60 Day DL. Combine that with the everyday "Baby Yankees" Melkey Cabrera and Robinson Cano, the Yanks can keep their heads above water for the next few weeks.
Impact:

5. LA Dodgers: Anytime you take strengthen your team by weakening another in your division, it has to be a good move, right? Well, not in this case. Dodgers traded for Giants firstbaseman Mark Sweeney for a player to be named (or cash). The move doesn't seem to make any sense at first, but now that Nomar is on the 15 Day DL, its a good move, sort of. If you're the type that salivates when you see anyone named Sweeney in the starting lineup, maybe you should check out this blog.
Impact:

6. Mariners: So you want to win the AL West? One of the easiest divisions in baseball to win, the West is constantly up for grabs every year. So your biggest acquisition of the season is left hander John Parrish from Baltimore? Its a wonder that Ichiro signed the deal, if this is an example of your commitment to winning.
Impact:

7. St. Louis Cardinals: Everyone wrote them off before the All Star Game. Now, with the NL Wildcard Up for grabs, and the Central looking as stable as Baghdad, the Cards gamble on signing Troy Percival looks like a briliant move. In 21 innings pitched, Percival has only given up 2 runs, batters are only hitting .183 against the righty, and he's managed to win 3 games in relief. With the resurgence of Rick Ankiel, the Cards are starting to looking like a dark horse.
Impact: