The Sports Review

The rookie All Star third baseman of the Tampa Bay Rays, Evan Longoria, is placed on 15 day disabled list due to a broken right wrist. The Rays are currently at the leaders’ position in the Al East and the team management is hoping that the injury to the key players will not keep the spirits down and expects the incoming rookie hitters to carry on from where the seniors have left. The Rays will also have to bring in their injured players into their team sooner than later as the sports leading teams, like Red Sox and Yankees are not far behind them. The ticket sales for this MLB season have been going on at a brisk pace.

The prolific Texas Rangers center fielder Josh Hamilton could not bear the scorching summer temperature last Friday night and had to leave in the middle of the sixth innings of the game against the Toronto Blue Jays die to dizziness. Hamilton was in good knock when this incident happened and had scored the 26^th homer of his career in the fourth inning. His MLB career’s RBI total stands at 106 and two of the runs were scored in this game. The game temperature was about 100 degrees and Hamilton’s place in the center field was taken over by Marlon Byrd. The fans who had bought tickets to the next Rangers game are hoping that Hamilton recovers in time for the game. 

The Pittsburgh Pirates were overjoyed by their victory over New York Yankees last Tuesday night as this is the first win since the 60 World Series that the Pirates have registered over the Yankees at their own backyard. The margin of victory (12-5) will also be a welcome sight for the Pirates fans and this stupendous win was achieved courtesy of home runs by Ryan Doumit and Jose Bautista. The Pirates hitters were on song for the entire game and they took an unassailable lead of 7-1 by the end of the fifth inning. The Pirates fans, seeing the tide change in their favor, will be rushing to book their tickets for future games well in advance. 

Hank Blalock, the Rangers’ talented infielder has not been given the green light to continue playing for the team. Previously he was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome, rendering his wrists unable to perform optimally. He is under medication and is expected to see his doctor in Texas for a follow up examination. While he will miss the three game match against arch rival Rays, Blalock has been advised to rest for at least two to three more days. Rangers’ manager Ron Washington expressed his concern and wished Blalock a speedy recovery so that he can resume playing with the team soon without being put into the disabled list for extended period of time.

The Chicago White Sox are on a roll lately and have registered their 7^th consecutive win with a 7-2 thrashing over the Cleveland Indians courtesy of some heroics by none other than Jermaine Dye. He had a three run homer in the sixth inning of the match and came up with a solo shot in the seventh to seal the fate of his opponent team. The Cleveland Indians by virtue of this defeat have had five straight losses and will need to get their act together before their next game against the White Sox team. Dye, one of the sport’s powerful hitters, has made eight home runs in this season so far.

Chipper Jones, the no.10 third baseman for the Atlanta Braves, sustained further injury to his already strained right quadriceps while belting out a double, leaving Atlanta Braves to fend for themselves during last Sunday’s game against Los Angeles. Fortunately, his team did not suffer much due to his absence and instead managed to score 6-1, making them the victors.

Previously, Jones injured his right quad during the April 9 at Colorado. He did not fully recuperate and trooped on to play but this proved to be a bad mistake. He successfully extended his hitting streak to 12 games. He took quite a while to get back on his feet after sliding into second base, and that’s when Jones knew that something was wrong. When asked to comment, the Atlanta Braves’ manager Bobby Cox does not know if Jones feels up to it for the following Monday night game. With opponents like Washington, it’s best to be sure, he says. He maintains that Jones’ injury is nothing major and fans should not worry too much.

Alex Rodriguez, known for his remarkable baseball playing, has set another record for baseball’s highest contract, finalizing his $275 million, 10-year agreement with the Yankees. The previous mark of the outstanding baseball player was his $252 million, 10-year deal with Texas in December 2000. However, after having been traded to the Yankees in 2004, he cancelled that contract during the final game of the World Series. The new deal allows Rodriguez to earn $30 million more for achieving historic records.

P.S. A-Rod is 18th on the career list with 518 homers, 244 shy of Barry Bonds‘ record.

Minnesota is faced with the dilemma of dealing Johan Santana of their starting rotation. Two-time Cy Young Award winning player can become a free agent following the 2008 season. Minnesota is not ready to fork over the kind of cash the player is going to command. In this edition of Major League Baseball Fastball, Neil Borenstein examines Johan Santana’s situation, including who will be the top suitors and when is the right time to trade the player away

A-Rod is happy to be back to the New York Yankees, where he believes he belongs. The player has discovered happiness with the Yankees this year, and all along has a desire to stay, despite the specter of free agency. The power-hitting 3B said Saturday that his wife and he finally feel like they are New Yorkers. The club seemed prepared to move on, until Alex Rodriguez contacted them recently about a new contract that turned out to be worth about $275 million over ten years.

The Indianapolis Colts have lost their defensive end Dwight Freeney till the end of the season. He injured his left foot during the matchup against the San Diego Chargers on last Sunday. The team were two points behind the Charges, and Freeney, while making a spin motion, badly hurt his foot, which caused its dislocation and get him out of the games for quite a long period. Actually it was the midfoot, which will take time to heal. For this period the Colts want to replace Freeny with a defensive end from the Denver Broncos, because he is likely to be sacked by them.