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Fielder owes more than $400,000 in back taxes

Brewers slugger Prince Fielder owes more than $400,000 in unpaid taxes, according to a published report.

Fielder declined comment on the report through a team spokesman before Wednesday night’s game against Toronto. An IRS spokesman told The Associated Press that Fielder could have made payments or even paid it off, but that it might not be recorded yet.

The Detroit News’ Tax Watchdog blog published Tuesday a copy of the IRS’ Notice of Federal Tax Lien filed against Fielder on Oct. 6, 2005. It was addressed to a residence in his name in Melbourne, Fla., and noted he owed a total of $409,149.14 assessed on Sept. 13, 2004, and Feb. 7, 2005.

“That’s nobody’s business but his,” Brewers manager Ned Yost said. “That has nothing to do with baseball.”

General manager Doug Melvin declined comment. A message left with Fielder’s agent, Scott Boras, wasn’t immediately returned.

Fielder received a $2.4 million signing bonus after being the Brewers’ top pick in the 2002 draft.

Fielder was miffed this spring training when Milwaukee renewed his contract for $670,000—he hit an NL-high 50 home runs with 119 RBIs last season. He will be eligible for salary arbitration next year.

Red Sox and others


It's interesting to watch a team go from the underdog to the team on top that everyone tries to knock down. I am a Bostonian and sat through what seemed like endless years of sub-par Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots teams that disappointed me annually. The poor Red Sox, people thought they had a curse that couldn't be lifted. But now the Sox are World Series winners twice in three years, something I never thought I'd say! All of a sudden, the Red Sox are the mighty that everyone will want to beat. They are the bad guys now, the ones everybody wants a piece of.

And it's the same thing with the Patriots. They are now hated by lots of football fans. One commentator called every game against the Pats as that team's Super Bowl. I haven't seen the Patriots this year, but I went to the Angeles vs Red Sox game 3 in the playoffs and also Game 2 of the World Series. I bought game tickets from here. This year, I think I am going to forget about sports for a while and instead check out a show, maybe Young Frankenstein. But of course you can bet you'll see me at Fenway Park or Wrigley Field during this upcoming MLB season.

Haren dominates as Arizona defeats A’s 11-1

Dan Haren had been looking forward to facing—and beating—the Oakland Athletics since they traded him to Arizona last winter.

He came away with mixed emotions after dominating his former team.

Haren allowed one run and drove in three as the Diamondbacks routed the Athletics 11-1 on Wednesday night.

“It was a little weird,” Haren said. “A lot of those guys are still really close friends for me.”

One of his closest friends is Joe Blanton, who lasted only three innings, his shortest outing since May 25, 2005. Haren helped drive Blanton (3-10) from the game with a bases-clearing double in the third.

“It was kind of bittersweet,” Haren said. “Obviously, I want to win the game. But Blanton is one of my best friends. Those games happen.”
Series at a Glance

Haren (7-4) limited the A’s to four hits in seven innings, walking one and striking out eight. Haren also hit a three-run double as the Diamondbacks paid back the A’s for a 15-1 drubbing in the series opener.

“Kind of flipped from yesterday’s game,” Arizona manager Bob Melvin said. “Hopefully, today’s something to build on.”

Chris Young and Stephen Drew homered for the Diamondbacks, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Arizona had been outscored 35-7 during the skid, but its dormant attack awoke against Blanton.

Colorado Wins

The Colorado Rockies have been struggling to defend their National League title this season, but a few more games against the American League could help to turn things around.

The Rockies will be trying for a three-game sweep of the Cleveland Indians when the teams meet at Coors Field on Thursday.

Colorado (30-42) is in last place in the NL West after reaching the World Series last season. However, the Rockies have won 10 of 14 and clinched their fifth straight series victory with Wednesday’s 4-2 win over Cleveland (33-39).

“Every time we start a series, that’s what’s brought up - try to win the series,” said Jeff Baker, who homered and scored three runs Wednesday. “That’s what we did last year toward the end and it worked out for us.”

Included in their current run was a series win against the White Sox in Chicago. The Rockies, who took two of three in that set, are 6-2 in interleague play and have outscored their AL foes 36-20.

Tigers setup man Fernando Rodney activated from DL

The Detroit Tigers activated setup man Fernando Rodney from the disabled list Monday and manager Jim Leyland was eager to work him into a game as soon as possible.

“Yeah, to see what he looks like,” Leyland said before the Tigers opened a three-game interleague series with the San Francisco Giants. “I don’t know exactly how I’ll use Rodney, whether in a big-game situation. I’d like to get his feet wet for an inning. It was nice to put his name on the card. It’s been a while.”

Rodney, a 31-year-old right-hander, had missed the entire season with shoulder problems, as has fellow setup man Joel Zumaya. Both pitchers had been on injury rehab assignments with Triple-A Toledo.

Zumaya was scheduled to pitch Monday night for Toledo and Leyland said the hard-throwing right-hander could rejoin the Tigers by this weekend.

Rodney is eager to get on the mound. He appeared in four games for Toledo, going 1-0 with a 6.75 ERA and eight strikeouts in 5 1-3 innings.

“I feel ready to go, whenever he gives me the ball,” Rodney said. “I’ve shown I’m ready to go and I want to help my team win. I think this is the best time for me now because this is more the time the team needs me.”

It’s been a long haul for Rodney getting back. An initial MRI exam showed inflammation in the shoulder and he thought he would be out just 15 days.

“I feel comfortable,” said Rodney, who has spent all five of his major league seasons with the Tigers. “It was tough at the beginning because I didn’t really know what was wrong. They sent me for a second opinion but then they said there was nothing negative in there and with 10 days of rest it would be OK.”

To clear roster room for Rodney, the Tigers optioned right-hander Aquilino Lopez to Toledo on Sunday.

Baseball Swing - Three Core Movements

When I teach hitting (or pitching for that matter) there are a few important core movements that if accomplished will lead to a greater chance that other movements further in the baseball swing process will be successful. Keep in mind that there are quite a few significant movements within the complete baseball swing. Please don’t think the below is an exhaustive list.

Core Hitting Movements:

1. The load. Movement backwards where weight is stacked on back leg is valuable so as to make sure the back knee and hip are fully involved in the triggering (power creation) process. Without the load, little power can be effectively generated with the lower half and therefore, the front hip or hands will begin to take over to compensate (a bad thing).

2. The trigger. Movement forward with the back knee and hip are essential. If the front side (leg and hip mostly here) are doing their job, then the rotation with the back side first will create torque in the swing and allow the upper body to then whip through the bat through the zone.

3. Front side stability. I teach a lot on the lower half of the body. It’s the source of the power. If it is not under full control, the upper half must work extra hard, sometimes too much in creating energy while hitting a baseball. Therefore, the front knee and hip should remain closed off to the pitcher as the back side begins it’s initial movement. As the rotation continues, the front side will give way and allow full hip rotation to continue. If control of the front side initially is accomplished, the results will be energy (not to be confused with weigh transfer) being directed back into the pitch. If there is little front side control, meaning the hips begin to open too soon, the energy will not be directed into the pitch, but instead away from the plate.

As always, pictures or videos provide the best example for baseball instruction. However, understanding what one is looking at while viewing pictures or videos is the most important part in understand a fundamental baseball swing.

Nate Barnett is owner of BMI Baseball http://bmibaseball.com and is based out of Washington State. His expertise is in the area of hitting, pitching, and mental training. Coach Barnett’s passion is working with youth in helping expand their vision for their baseball future. After finishing a professional career in the Seattle Mariners Organization, Nate pursued his coaching and motivational training career. For more information on hitting mechanics, find his instructional blog at http://bmibaseball.com/blog

Hitting Mechanics 101, an ebook on complete hitting mechanics will be released in June, 2008. Features include numerous illustrations, video clips, and a special offer to discuss your hitting questions over live on the phone strategy sessions.

Cardinals beat Phillies 7-6 in 10 innings

Yadier Molina never saw what hit him, leaving the field on a body board and wearing a neck brace. One inning later, it was the Philadelphia Phillies who were stunned.

Rick Ankiel scored from second on the Phillies’ second error at first base in the 10th inning to give the St. Louis Cardinals a 7-6 victory on Sunday, a game interrupted when Molina was run over on a tag play in the ninth.

Molina was to be held overnight at a hospital for evaluation of neck and back pain, but appeared to be suffering mostly from a case of whiplash.

“The initial stuff was OK,” manager Tony La Russa said. “At least right now. We’re keeping our fingers crossed and hoping for the best.”

Ankiel reached with two outs on second baseman Chase Utley’s wild throw to reliever Tom Gordon, who was covering first. After Troy Glaus singled, Gordon (5-4) again had to cover the bag on Chris Duncan’s grounder between first and second, and Gordon missed the ball as he ran across the base.

Lohse helps Cards rebound, beat Phillies 3-2

Kyle Lohse brought his best for the team that failed to re-sign him over the winter.

Lohse pitched a season-high eight innings of four-hit ball and Adam Kennedy hit a two-run home run, helping the St. Louis Cardinals rebound from their worst loss at 3-year-old Busch Stadium with a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday.

“Obviously, they felt they didn’t need me bad enough,” Lohse said. “I didn’t mind going out there and beating them today, I’ll tell you that.”

Lohse (8-2) was hurt only by Pat Burrell’s two-run homer in the fourth in an outing that took pressure off a bullpen that pitched 5 2-3 innings in a 20-2 loss on Friday night.

The Cardinals activated closer Jason Isringhausen and recalled right-hander Anthony Reyes earlier in the day due to the arms shortage, but Lohse minimized concerns when he entered the eighth with a 101-pitch count and then worked a 1-2-3 inning against the top of the Phillies’ order.

“They wanted me to give them as much as I could,” Lohse said. “I wanted to give them everything I could.”

 

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