Jarrod Saltalamacchia has had all kinds of problems stemming from Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, which is a condition that causes arm and hand numbness. He underwent surgery to correct the problem, which involved the removal of a rib, and the Rangers demoted him to the minors after he struggled to come back. Saltalamacchia has hit exceptionally…

Today Bud Selig spoke for the first time about his thoughts on the new Arizona immigration law and the calls for baseball to move the 2011 All-Star Game from Chase Field. His response: Baseball hires a lot of minorities. Really, that was his answer: Asked about such demands at a news conference Thursday following an…

Minnesota returned to a 12-man pitching staff following yesterday’s win over Chicago, activating Jose Mijares from the disabled list and sending Wilson Ramos back to Triple-A. Ramos going 4-for-5 with a double in his debut and 3-for-4 with two doubles in his second game initially had many Twins fans clamoring for him to stick around…

As the season goes on and teams get more desperate, the prospect of signing Jarrod Washburn to shore up the shaky rotation becomes less and less laughable.  But according to Jon Paul Morosi, don’t count on J-Wash (like that? I just came up with it!) coming to your hometown nine in 2010: When asked by…

In an interview with ESPN for an upcoming “Outside the Lines” segment, longtime major leaguer Bernie Carbo revealed that he tried to pay someone to break Keith Hernandez’s arms in 1985 after Hernandez testified that Carbo introduced him to cocaine when they were teammates on the Cardinals. I knew some people, and I had $2,000,…

Major League Baseball hasn’t yet seized the Texas Rangers, but according to Eric Fisher of Sports Business Journal, Bud Selig has set yet another deadline.  It’s a secret though. Seriously. As Fisher notes, every other deadline that either Selig or Hicks or Greenberg or anyone else has set in this deal has been blown through,…

Orioles reliever Jim Johnson was examined today by Dr. James Andrews and has been diagnosed with “a small tear in his right elbow.” Andrews advised Johnson to rest for at least 8-10 weeks, but Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports that “if things don’t improve in four weeks he could be facing season-ending Tommy…

As per my usual Thursday afternoon routine, I’m going to be on the Paul and Tom Show at at HotStove.com at 2pm.  Today’s topics will include the whole Ken Griffey Jr. sleeping/media shunning affair, other pressing baseball topics of the day and, if form holds, a good bit about 1980s NWA wrestling. Space Mountain, baby.

The filming site of the movie “Field of Dreams” — cornfield ballpark and all — is up for sale: The movie site, located northeast of Dyersville, has been officially listed, according to owners Don and Becky Lansing. The listing encompasses the movie site, which includes the baseball diamond, a two-bedroom, 1 1/2-bath house, six outbuildings…

One of the hottest hitters in baseball before landing on the disabled list with a hamstring injury late last month, Nelson Cruz avoided a setback during a brief rehab assignment at Triple-A and is expected to rejoin the Rangers’ lineup tomorrow. Cruz told Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com that his time on the DL was “tough”…

If I asked 100 of you that question, 97 would say Albert Pujols and three of you would say Derek Jeter, after which you’d tell me that the Yankees Rule!!11!!one!!! But what if it’s someone else?  Someone like . . . Chase Utley.  That’s defensive expert John Dewan’s, view of things.  Warning: it’s a statty…

Freddy Sanchez finally looks close to rejoining the Giants following knee and shoulder surgeries, going 3-for-5 with three doubles in the first two games of his rehab assignment at Single-A. Bruce Bochy said Sanchez could be cleared to come off the disabled list as soon as next Wednesday if he avoids a setback while moving…

The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. Other men paint their portly naked torsos proclaiming themselves “Die Hard Cardinals Fan.” Best part: the words on his back are printed pretty clearly, which suggests that he has a wife or a girlfriend help him with this getup…

I missed this in the recaps, but file this under “wow, that wouldn’t have happened a year or two ago.” In the seventh inning of the Dodgers-Diamondbacks game, A.J. Hinch decided to intentionally walk Andre Ethier with two men on in order to load the bases for Manny Ramirez. And it wasn’t like they were…

As expected, Carlo Beltran began his running program on Monday and, according to Newsday, he’s apparently pain-free: “Thank God there’s no pain . . . It’s a learning process for me to start running again, so right now I’m thinking about how to make it perfect. Today was the first day I ran and didn’t…

David Ortiz struck out looking in the ninth inning of yesterday’s Sox-Jays game.  I’ve seen Ortiz roll his eyes and grumble about calls before, but he’s not known to be a whiner or anything.  He went absolutely nuts after strike three, however, and when you watch the video, you’ll agree that he had a case. …

The Mariners are talking to some reporters. MLB.com’s Jim Street, for instance, and he reports that, according to the team, Milton Bradley isn’t likely to rejoin the club until late next week. Bradley is on the restricted list so he’s not traveling with the Mariners.  Don Wakamatsu says, however, that “I think everything is going…

“I asked if I could start wearing his underwear. But he said no.” – Washington Nationals’ Craig Stammen on teammate Tyler Clippard’s MLB-leading seven wins. The rose goes in the front, big guy. (thanks to Wooden U. Lykteneau for the heads up)

Derek Holland went 8-13 with a 6.12 ERA in 138.1 innings as a rookie last season, but the 23-year-old southpaw resumed dominating at Triple-A to begin this season and shut out the Mariners for six innings Wednesday night after replacing the injured Matt Harrison in the rotation. For the long term Texas’ hitter-friendly ballpark is…

From today’s Tacoma News-Tribune Mariners-Orioles game story by Larry LaRue: For the second day, none of the players would talk to The News Tribune in the wake of a players-only meeting that followed a report that Ken Griffey Jr. was napping in the clubhouse during a game last week. Are there any grownups working for…