Fastball Fans

Some sad new for Yankee legend Graig Nettles…

Former Yankees third baseman Graig Nettles will undergo surgery for prostate cancer early next month.

“They told me they got it early,�? Nettles said Saturday. “It’s curable. It’s treatable. So I’ve got to think positive.�?

The Yankees’ spring training instructor was diagnosed with the cancer last November. Doctors told Nettles the surgery could wait until after the team completed its exhibition season.

“A pretty good scare,�? Nettles said. “They said I may have had it a few years. So there wasn’t any urgency, I always thought there would be an urgency of getting it out of your body, but they thought it wouldn’t matter a couple months.�?

Nettles got tested after his brother Jim informed him that he had prostate cancer.

“The doctor said it runs in the family, so I went and got tested,�? Nettles said.

Graig Nettles said his brother underwent surgery and is doing fine.

Get well, Graig!

Right now, Barry Bonds is unemployable; however, he got some decent news — his case will be put on hold — at least temporarily.

The perjury case against Barry Bonds, baseball’s all-time home run king, was put on hold by a federal judge on Friday.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Judge Susan Illston, at a hearing in U.S. District Court, was holding the case over until June 6. It was done apparently so government lawyers could correct technical flaws in the indictment of the former Giants slugger.

Bonds has been accused of lying under oath to a federal grand jury. His grand jury testimony, given under oath in December 2003, is at the center of his November 15, 2007 indictment for perjury and obstruction of justice.

Prosecutors hit Bonds with a five-count indictment — four counts of perjury and one for obstruction of justice — after one of the longest federal grand jury investigations in Northern California history involving the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO).

However, Bonds’ lawyers contended that under law the indictment was deficient. The Chronicle reports that by law the government can accuse a person of only one crime per count of an indictment. Apparently, too many allegations were compiled into too few counts of the original indictment.

The government’s lawyers apparently intend to correct the problem to issue a new indictment before the June 6 hearing.

Does this mean he’ll play in 2008– not necessarily. I would imagine at this point most teams want to stay away from Barry Bonds just for the circus like atmosphere his presence alone would bring…

The New York Yankees named Chien-Ming Wang their opening day starter on Friday, according to a report on the team’s Web site.

“He’s earned it,” manager Joe Girardi said. “He’s won 19 games the last couple of years and he’s thrown the ball well the last couple of years. I’m comfortable starting him Opening Day.”

The Yanks start the season against the Blue Jays next Monday.

Brian Roberts bothered by trade talks? Wow, you don’t say?

I think this has been pretty obvious for, um, since week as he talked with USA Today.

In article in the Baltimore Sun, Roberts confirmed the obvious — he’s bothered by the talks — thus, in my opinion, I would not blame him one bit.

Granted, I should not have sympathy for a guy making $8 million per year: however, he’s a human being and certainly not a machine without thought.

“At some point in your career, your name is going to be thrown out there in trades and it’s going to create some uncertainty,” Roberts said before the Orioles’ 7-4 loss today to the St. Louis Cardinals. “But, no, I didn’t expect this to go all the way through spring training. It’s not something that I’d want to go through every year, that’s for sure.”

As well…

“When you’re talking about your life circumstances, yeah, it’s tough not to think about it,” said Roberts, who went 0-for-4 today and hit into two double plays, his spring average dropping to .293. “I’m trying to block it out the best I can. But that’s tough when everybody wants to talk about it. It’s frustrating at times. And times, you say, ‘It’s out of my control.’ Most of the time, that’s how I look at it. I’m here for a reason right now and I’ll make the best of every day, but there comes a time where you’d like to know what’s going on.”

Look, we all know that baseball is a business — a huge on that generated revenue to the tune of $6 billion; however, you do have to feel for Roberts.
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Ah, if you think the Yankees seemingly have a bottomless pit of money, it’s going to get worse with the new stadium…

Those $250 box seats at Yankee Stadium will seem inexpensive in 2009.

The New York Yankees will charge $500 to $2,500 for seats near home plate in the first five-to-eight rows of their new ballpark. They already have commitments from ticket-buyers for all 122 of the front-row seats.

Lonn Trost, the team’s chief operating officer, sent a letter to season ticket-holders on March 14, outlining premium seating in the new $1.3 billion ballpark and inquiring if fans wanted to upgrade. The team’s Web site touts the premium areas as “an exclusive experience for those with discerning taste who seek the very best that life has to offer.”

Trost said Friday the team already had received more than 3,000 upgrade requests for next year.

“It was a remarkable response,” he said.

In the final season of the current Yankee Stadium, the team has 162 Legends seats ringing the infield mostly in two rows, with tickets priced up to $1,000 a game. Behind that are 3,000 Field Championship seats, which sold for $250 a game this year as part of season tickets. Those same seats cost just $25 in 1996.

The new ballpark will have 1,800 Legends Field Suite seats in 25 sections ringing home plate, with seats 20 feet closer to the infield than the current stadium. Food and nonalcoholic drinks are included in the ticket price, and there will be a private entrance, elevator and concourse.

“You will delight in the premium amenities, including cushioned seats with teak arms, in-seat wait service, concierge services, private restrooms and a delectable selection of all-inclusive food and beverages,” the Web site said. “Exclusive access to the bi-level Legends Suite Club and two Legends Suite Dugout Lounges helps make the Legends Suite the most coveted ticket in sports.”

Fans must buy those seats for three, five, seven or 10 seasons, Trost said, and buyers will lock in at a specified scale of price increases. The team’s premium seating plan was first reported Friday by The New York Times.

There will be 1,200 Main Level Outdoor Suite seats in nine sections behind the plate priced at $350 to more than $500 next year, Trost said, with fans having to buy them for four, six, eight and 10 years. There will be 1,300 Terrace Level Outdoor Suite seats in nine sections behind the plate costing $100, $115 and $135, and fans must commit to them for two, four, six, eight or 10 seasons.

New York has lease commitments for 29 of 47 luxury suites in the new ballpark at prices from $600,000 and $850,000, and will have a 74-seat Club Suite priced at $700 per ticket, food (but not alcohol) included.

Sorry for the length, but this is kind of sickening — I guess with the potential riches, Joe fan has been all but forgotten.

Folks, the access is for the rich — not the poor.

According to the AP, Brian McNamee, the former personal trainer who has said he injected former New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone, fainted while driving and crashed his car head-on into a city bus, according to published reports.

McNamee told police he blacked out because of an ongoing medical problem, the New York Daily News and New York Post reported Friday.

* From ESPN

The Red Sox, your new road, I mean air, warriors…

* The St. Louis Cardinals signed pitcher Adam Wainwright to a $15 million, four-year contract on Thursday.

* Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Nomar Garciaparra will likely miss the season opener because of a broken bone in his right hand.

* John Patterson surprisingly was cut by the Washington Nationals on Thursday, a little more than a week before the season begins.

* Outfielder Jay Bruce, one of the Cincinnati Reds’ top prospects, was reassigned to their minor league camp on Thursday.

* Toronto Blue Jays closer B.J. Ryan complained of soreness in his throwing arm and will be held out of games for at least a few days.

* Milwaukee Brewers reliever Randy Choate will miss the beginning of the upcoming season with a broken bone in his left hand, the club announced Thursday.

(taken from the AP)

One of the most dominant pitchers of the last decade, Bartolo Colon, has seen the highs and lows of baseball. Well, it looks like his comeback with Boston, may have come to a screeched halt as they assigned pitcher Bartolo Colon to minor league camp on Wednesday.

He was signed to a minor league contract in February to be an additional starter in the rotation, in case Schilling or others get injured.

As you all know, the Los Angeles Dodgers left fabled Dodgertown this week. Here are nice and touching videos about Dodgers in the historic facility…

Keith Olbermann disses Major League Baseball for their action against the Red Sox coaches. Nice.

Topics Discussed Tonight:

* One Year Anniversary
* The now resolved uproar in Red Sox Nation
* Yankees Honor and Remember Virginia Tech Victims
* NL West Preview
* Barack Obama (?)
* Barry Bonds

Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Nomar Garciaparra was diagnosed with a microfracture in his right wrist, according to a report on team’s web site.

A two-time AL batting champion, Garciaparra was hit by a pitch March 7 and has had pain in his hand ever since, making it difficult to swing a bat. He’s had two X-rays and two MRIs, neither of which showed any structural damage in the area where he was struck.

“We’ll see where Nomar’s at in another week or so, and in the meantime, we’ll continue to see if we can figure out [a replacement] from within or outside,” general manager Ned Colletti said Wednesday.

Garciaparra took batting practice Tuesday, and had been throwing without any problems.

Tony Abreu and Blake DeWitt are thought to be the leading candidates to start at third on Opening Day if Garciaparra is not ready, although the 22-year-old DeWitt has never played above Double-A.

Yet another blow in a brilliant career that has been marred by injury after injury. Get well, Nomar.