Not at their home stadium, but XIX was played at Stanford Stadium and featured the 49ers, who beat the Dolphins. SB XIV was played in Pasadena and featured the LA Rams, who lost to the Steelers. These games were like home games for the 49ers and Rams.

Has anyone heard any news about the Seattle Supersonics? Are they really going to be moving or is it still in the legal thing with the Starbucks owner?

MLB asks teams to enforce rules, speed up games

NEW YORK (AP) -With games seeming to run longer each year, Major League Baseball on Wednesday asked teams to help enforce speed-up rules already on the books.

A nine-inning game is averaging 2 hours, 51 minutes, 42 seconds this season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. That's only 29 seconds longer than last season, but 5 1/2 minutes longer than five years ago.

In 1981, an average game took 2:33.

To help solve what is increasingly seen as a problem, baseball held a series of conference calls with each club's manager, general manager and in-game entertainment staff. All umpire crew chiefs were also involved.

Among the suggestions:

-Umpires should urge batters to approach home plate from the on-deck circle and enter the batter's box faster, and to enforce rules such as issuing an automatic strike to batters who linger outside the box.

-In bases-empty situations, pitchers should be warned if they don't pitch within a 12-second time limit. Pitchers will be called for a ball for each subsequent violation.

In addition to those existing rules, conferences on the pitcher's mound will be broken up more quickly, and teams will be asked to have a reserve player or coach ready to catch warmup pitches if a catcher isn't ready.

Teams will also be fined for repeated violations of league rules for in-game entertainment, public address announcements and music and video presentations, such as running too long.

"Improving pace of game is an important goal that will be emphasized,'' commissioner Bud Selig said. "Clubs and fans share the common objective of seeing a game that is played as sharply and crisply as possible. We have reminded our staff and our umpires to enforce the rules in order to achieve the progress we need in this area.''

Source: SI

I would love to be at the game where this rule is first enforced. The umpire who first calls a ball after 12 seconds has stones of steel.

No instant replay in baseball. No, no, no!

I'd like to see it in limited use, perhaps just for home runs.

I'm against it but I'm sure this argument was dealt with when the American League introduced the Designated Hitter

In 1973, Irish?

I know you're a young'un, but come on . . . the technology for replay back then was barely better than a black and white tv set.

No I meant the argument over "purity" of the game was brought up. Sorry, forgot that part

My friend at work follows Seattle teams closely. By all accounts, they are gone barring a major miracle. I think it's issues with the city - not too sure about the Starbucks connection. I know I'm not forking over 4 bucks for a cup of coffee these days.

The Starbucks owner was the previous owner, and supposedly he sold the Supersonics with the assumption the new owners would do everything to keep the team in Seattle. He is now suing to get the team back because they didn't follow up on that promise, saying the owners WANT to move the team. That was the last I heard anyway.

Yeah, I heard the same thing Blibble. I wonder how that'll play out

Wow. How horrible.

Ex-MLB pitcher Gonzalez killed by lightning
sports-mlb-20080526-Obit-Geremi.Gonzalez

2 hours ago

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Former major league pitcher Geremi Gonzalez, who won 11 games for the Chicago Cubs in 1997, was killed by a lightning strike in his native Venezuela on Sunday. He was 33.

Emergency management official Herman Bracho said Monday that Gonzalez was struck by lightning at a beach.

Gonzalez pitched for five major league teams from 1997-06. The right-hander appeared in 131 games with 83 starts, compiling a 30-35 record.

Gonzalez also played for the Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers. He made a combined 24 appearances for the Mets and Brewers in his final major league season in 2006.

The Toronto Blue Jays released him during spring training last year. Gonzalez then moved to Japan and pitched in five games for the Yomiuri Giants.

``The Chicago Cubs are very saddened today to learn of Geremi Gonzalez's sudden passing,'' general manager Jim Hendry said in a statement.

The Associated Press

Today is the birthday of the late former major league catcher, Willard Hershberger. He was born in 1910.

He is a little known figure in the annals of baseball history, but holds the distinction of being the only major leaguer ever to have committed suicide during a season.

He broke into the majors with the Reds in 1938 as a backup catcher to Hall of Famer Ernie Lombardi. He hit over .340 in 60+ games in 1939, and had 2 at bats with a hit in the World Series that year. In 1939 he filled in for Lombardi, who injured a finger in July. The league leading Reds blew a lead against the NY Giants on July 31, and Hershberger had overheard whispers that had Lombardi been playing, they would have won.

On August 2, the Reds lost to the Boston Braves, after which Hershberger approached manager Bill McKechnie because he felt responsible for that loss. His manager had told him that it was nonsense. The following morning, Hershberger slit his wrists and throat in his Boston hotel room. He had been hitting .309 and playing well defensively.

The Reds went on and won the World Series in seven games against the Tigers with reserve catcher, Jimmie Wilson, catching six of the seven games.Hershberger's uniform number "5" was temporarily retired by the Reds the following year. Decades later it was permanently retired for another Reds' catcher, Johnny Bench.

Some more useless and irrelevant baseball information:

What 5 states have produced the most major league players?

In order, they are California, Pennsylvania, New York, Illinois and Ohio. I was surprised that Florida was only 13th.

Besides the U.S. the countries that have produced the most players are, in order, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Canada, Venezuela and Cuba.

The Astros have a franchise record of 3,682-3,696 for a .499 clip. If they continue to play well, there is a achance that they could hit an even record this season.

If the Reds continue to lose they may hit the .500 record too in a few years as they are the franchise with a career winning record closest to .500 at 8,357-8,292.

Speaking of the Reds, the much heralded Jay Bruce has recently made his major league debut, going 3 for 3. Here is a link between Bruce and Ty Cobb:

Bruce is a teammate of Griffey, Jr, who was a teammate of Dennis Martinez, who played with Brooks Robinson, who played on a team with Dizzy Trout, who was once a teammate of Charlie Gehringer, who played on the Tigers with Cobb.

Bruce has a nice connection to the all-time hit king, Pete Rose. Bruce plays with Ken Griffey, Jr, who played with Ken Griffey, who played with Pete Rose.

The Blue Jays just beat the A's 12 - 0 and are now 4 games above .500 at 30 - 26. Things are definitely starting to look up.

I was watching Law and Order and missed Manny hit his 500th home run. How exciting that it happened here. I wonder how much money the person who caught it will ask to return it. I'd hold out for at least $50,000.

They showed it during the Yankee game. Manny's having a great year. Good for him. I remember a few years back when Boston was trying to give him away. I bet they're glad that they didn't.

How in the world does any potential buyer of a famous homerun ball determine that the ball they are buying is the actual ball that was hit?

When players are approaching milestone homeruns, as Bonds did last year and in 2001, the league stamps a set of baseballs with a special mark and numbers them accordingly. The home plate umpire is given several of the balls each time the batter comes to hit, and he keeps track of the number on the ball that gets hit out.

They are doing this, I understand, for Ken Griffey this week, who is looking for #600 tomorrow in Philly

I did notice that when watching a game yesterday. The station would do a double screen whenever Griffey Jr was up, and they showed the umpire hand them a special stamped baseball.

Doesn't that affect the physics of ball flight?

Doesn't that affect the physics of ball flight? [/quote]Apparently not. The stamp is the same as the Commissioner's signature that's emblazoned on every MLB ball.

Ask and thy shall receive:

Saunders won't be back as Pistons coach

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) - The Detroit Pistons say Flip Saunders won't be back next season after leading the team to three straight appearances in the Eastern Conference finals.

President of basketball operations Joe Dumars said Tuesday a change is necessary despite Saunders' successes.

In his three seasons, the Pistons were 176-70 in the regular season and 30-21 in the postseason, but they lost in the conference finals each year.

Saunders had a year left on a four-year deal he signed in 2005. He replaced Larry Brown, who won a title in two trips to the NBA finals.

Saunders had one season remaining on his contract.

"Decisions like this are difficult to make, especially with the success we have had throughout the last three regular-seasons," Dumars said in a statement. "However, at this time, I feel it is necessary to make a change.

"I thank Flip for his hard work and dedication, but it is time for a new voice to lead our team."

Source: FOX Sports

What is up with Manny Ramirez? He attacked Youkilis in the dugout during tonight's game.

what a great brawl! managers and players of both teams talked their mouths off about fists and hard slides in this series and it looks like ir will be round 2 the next time they meet.

A standard brawl at best... check it out with the link below:

RED SOX - TAMPA BRAWL; CLICK HERE

That was an ok brawl. I would have like to see Manny and Youklis going at it. Is there footage of that? Kevin looks like he could hold his own with Manny.

Yes. ESPN showed a relatively distant shot of Manny going after and shoving Youkilis before they were separated. A few teammates had to pull Manny into the club house.

****USELESS BASEBALL TRIVIA****

The first six hits in the careers of Dave Kingman, Jim Lefebvre, Carlos Quentin and Pete Incaviglia have something in common that is unique among them. What is it?

Hint: Maybe tonight a fifth player may join their company.

I've heard of "Manny being Manny", but Manny needs to take a chill pill.

But then again, I would love to be able to shove or punch one of my co-workers.