Fastball Fans

In spite of all the drug crap that has been going on in the sports world, there’s one guy who we may be certain that might not ever be dragged into the debate — Greg Maddux.

This weekend, he reached a impressive milestone.

Maddux became the ninth pitcher in big league history to win 350 games, reaching the plateau in his fifth try and leading the host San Diego Padres to a 3-2 win over the Colorado Rockies.

“It was kind of cool,” Maddux said. “I don’t want to make it out to be nothing, but it is May, and we haven’t been playing that good, and you just really want to win for the right reason and not necessarily for the wrong reason.”

Whatever Greg thinks of the whole story, it’s quite a feat.

Well, when one knows when to fold ‘em — they have to fold ‘em. Apparently, Brewers relief pitcher, Eric Gagne, knows that he sucks.

According the AP, the team yanked Eric Gagne from the closer’s role after the reliever called his latest performance embarrassing and said he didn’t feel he deserved to pitch the ninth inning anymore. Manager Ned Yost said he read Gagne’s comments and will use a closer by committee approach while Gagne takes what Yost called a “mental break.” Gagne said after the Brewers’ 5-3 loss to the Cardinals on Saturday night that he wanted to keep pushing through but didn’t deserve to close.

Ugh.

Sad new for Jays’ fans…

Center fielder Vernon Wells is expected to be sidelined six to eight weeks with a broken left wrist. The two-time All-Star was injured while making a diving catch Friday night. The Blue Jays placed Wells, who was batting .281 with five homers and 24 RBIs, on the 15-day disabled list along with reliever Jeremy Accardo, who has tightness in his right forearm.

For a team that’s struggling — considering their star player has been somewhat lackluster, they need all the help they can get.

According to the AP, The Florida Marlins and shortstop Hanley Ramirez agreed on a contract extension for six years and $70 million. Despite the history with the Marlins of dumping high-value players or trading them, they have decided to put an investment with one of their core player — in fact, he may be one of the top three in the game.

An official announcement is expected to come as early as next week, according to Florida media reports.

The Marlins have a $21 million payroll this season. Ramirez’s extension is the biggest contract in franchise history.

“We have something, but we’re working out the details,” Ramirez told ESPNdeportes.com on Friday. “We’ll have good news very soon.”

When reporters approached Ramirez before Saturday’s game against Washington, he smiled, laughed and waved.

“No comment, no comment,” he said.

Ramirez, whom the Marlins obtained in the trade that sent Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell to the Boston Red Sox, is earning $439,000 this season.

Ramirez would have been eligible for arbitration after this season and would likely have earned a significant pay raise. He was National League Rookie of the Year in 2006 and hit .332 last season with 52 stolen bases and 212 hits last season — second only to NL MVP runner-up Matt Holliday.

As of Saturday morning, he was hitting .336 with eight home runs and 21 RBIs in 35 games.

The Marlins, known as much for dealing away star players as they are for a pair of World Series championships, currently lead the National League East. The team is off to its best start in franchise history (21-14) despite its meager payroll. In fact, the Marlins’ $22 million payroll is by far the smallest in the major leagues.

“As we get closer to the stadium, those things will change,” owner Jeffrey Loria said in March. The Marlins plan to build a new stadium on the site of the Orange Bowl in Miami’s Little Havana district and locking up Ramirez long-term would give the team a bankable star with whom to open the new stadium in 2011 if all goes according to plan.

If there’s anything the fans of the Marlins should deserve, it’s having Hanley in uniform hopefully for years to come.

According to the AP, Seattle Mariners slugger Richie Sexson was suspended for six games and fined yesterday by Major League Baseball after he charged the mound and threw his helmet at a Texas Rangers pitcher on Thursday.

Bob Watson, baseball’s vice president in charge of disciplining players, cited Sexson for “violent and aggressive actions.”

Sexson asked the players association to appeal, and any suspension will be delayed until after a hearing.

Kyle Farnsworth’s suspension was cut from three games to one by Major League Baseball after an appeal by the reliever. Farnsworth threw a fastball behind the neck of Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez last month. He said the ball slipped.

Jimmy Rollins came off the disabled list, and the National League Most Valuable Player hit a two-run homer in his third at-bat for Philadelphia in its series opener at San Francisco. Rollins, 29, went on the DL for the first time in his nine-year big league career April 20, 12 days after he sprained his left ankle.

Congrats J-Roll…

Could this man’s career be close to an end? Center fielder Jim Edmonds, 37, was released by San Diego after his batting average dipped to .178 and he struggled to track down fly balls.

The 37-year-old Edmonds was hardly the only struggling player on the team with the worst record in the big leagues. His struggles were glaring enough, though, that San Diego released him on Friday, a move that will cost the Padres approximately $4.7 million.

The Padres viewed Edmonds as a one-year stopgap in center field and he didn’t even last six weeks.

and…

While Edmonds once made spectacular catches while with the Cardinals and Angels, he simply couldn’t catch up to fly balls or had them hit over his head.

Towers said Edmonds was “very apologetic” when he and manager Bud Black informed him of the move.

“He said he felt great this winter, was in the best shape he’d been in a long time, and thought he was going to have a real, real good year,” Towers said. “He apologized to us for not performing at the level he was accustomed to as well. We assured him it wasn’t just Jim Edmonds. He wasn’t the only reason why this club is struggling now. It’s a handful of things right now.”

Edmonds, who helped the St. Louis Cardinals win the 2006 World Series, didn’t return a phone call or e-mail seeking comment.

Edmonds’ salary this year is $8 million. The Padres got $2 million from the Cardinals when they acquired Edmonds on Dec. 15 for minor league third baseman David Freese.

It would be shame if he went out of the game soon — always one of my favorite players, he did things right and was a hardcore ballplayer…

The Minnesota Twins placed right-handed setup man Pat Neshek on the 15-day disabled list Friday, after an MRI test revealed an acute partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in the sidearmer’s elbow.

He’ll probably be out for the season.

Neshek will not be allowed to throw for a minimum of three months, which means the injury has effectively ended his season. But he said he won’t need surgery.

The ulnar collateral ligament is the same ligament that pitchers have repaired when they undergo Tommy John replacement surgery.

“Obviously it’s really bad, but it’s good I can come back and rehab this and not have to go through surgery and sit out for a good year,” Neshek said after Friday’s game, his arm fully wrapped.

“So we’re going to prepare for Opening Day next year. It just needs a little bit of time to heal and a little bit of rehab to build it back up.”

Manager Ron Gardenhire called the situation “very sad.”

“Whether he pitches again this year, for sure our goal is to get him back healthy,” Gardenhire said.

Sucks for him — he’s one of the most interesting ballplayers I’ve ever met…

Washington Nationals catcher Paul Lo Duca will be placed on the 15-day disabled list today with a broken right hand.

Lo Duca broke the fourth metacarpal bone in his hand while batting in the seventh inning of a loss to the Houston Astros on Wednesday night. He came off the DL last Friday after he was hit by a pitch and bruised the same hand April 13.

Nationals manager Manny Acta said Lo Duca could be out four to six weeks.

Well, we all know about Jeter’s dating conquests, but man has ever boasted an impressive lineup of women he’s dated. Too bad none of the worked out…

Derek Jeter is known as a player in every sense of the word, and Maxim’s upcoming Hot 100 list reflects that sentiment.

The magazine told amNewYork exclusively that six members of the Jeter exes club have made the annual list, which hits newsstands May 20.

The sexy ladies are Jessica Biel, Scarlett Johansson, Mariah Carey, Vanessa Minnillo, Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba.

Johansson and Biel land somewhere in the top 10, though Maxim wouldn’t give any more specifics.

Don’t hate the player — hate the game.

Ah, in today’s world of celebrity, blogs, sports talk radio, and 24-hour cable, one man in baseball has figured out how to manipulate the media and get himself some face time — Ozzie Guillen!

The boorish and loud White Sox manager, isn’t crazy, he knows that controversy creates cash, attention and ratings…

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen knows what sells in the media, what piques interest in baseball and other fields of endeavor. It’s people who tend to act a little crazy from time to time.

“Who cares about Britney Spears? But she’s on TV every day. Why do you think people give a … about Jose Canseco? That … sells,” Guillen said Thursday at the end of a 25-minute pregame meeting with reporters.

Managers who stir it up with their comments — as Guillen has done most of his managerial career — or with their on-field tantrums, like former Yankees manager Billy Martin and Cubs manager Lou Piniella, stick out.

“Who’s the manager they remember the most? … Billy Martin. They don’t remember Sparky Anderson. … They remember Billy Martin because he was the crazy one,” Guillen said. “Why do you think they like Lou Piniella? Because Lou is good? Great guy. Great baseball people. But people love Lou Piniella because he’s … up!”

No matter what you think of Ozzie — he’s right.

Ah, get a load of this…

Washington Nationals catcher Paul Lo Duca was injured while batting in the seventh inning against Houston on Wednesday night.

He doubled over in pain after a swing and Nationals officials came out and looked at him on the field. He walked around for a couple of minutes, before leaving the field. The team said he had sharp pain in his right hand and would be examined Thursday.

As he was heading to the dugout it appeared that two fans in the first row behind the dugout yelled at him. He yelled back before going into the dugout.

Soon, park security and a police officer came and escorted the two men from their seats. Fans chanted “Let them stay! Let them stay!” as they were being led out. Many of the Nationals came out of the dugout to watch the scene.

As funny as it may be to see heckling, fans need to remember this — just because you buy a ticket doesn’t mean you have to a act a fool…

Um, Paul needs to keep his cool though…