FameCrawler : MLB

Manny Ramirez Busted!

Whit Honea — Thu, 07 May 2009 19:04:00 GMT

Dodgers superstar Manny Ramirez has failed a drug test and will be suspended by MLB for 50 games.

Admittedly, I'm not surprised. Man-Ram using performance enhancing drugs actually explains a lot. Not only is he too good, but he tends to be labeled a jerk by pretty much everyone that ever meets him. Think Barry Bonds with really bad hair. Really bad hair.

Ramirez will lose 7.7 million dollars during the suspension- which means that he makes more in two months than the rest of us combined will make in our collective lifetime.

However, I don't think we need to worry about his kids going hungry. The little Mannys (seriously, it's George Formanesque) should be able to get by on day old caviar and Happy Meals till this all blows over. Whether or not they get over the scar of their dad being called a cheater is a different story.

Here's Manny's spin. For the record, his new spin is the same as the old spin:

"Recently I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was okay to give me. Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under the policy that mistake is now my responsibility. I have been advised not to say anything more for now. I do want to say one other thing; I've taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past five seasons.

"I want to apologize to Mr. McCourt, Mrs. McCourt, Mr. Torre, my teammates, the Dodger organization, and to the Dodger fans. LA is a special place to me and I know everybody is disappointed. So am I. I'm sorry about this whole situation."

Seriously? The blame the doctor angle? I didn't stay in a Holiday Inn last night, but I'm pretty sure medical professionals that are dealing with expensive commodities like professional athletes have a pretty good understanding of what they can and cannot prescribe.

Is it just me or is the American pastime going on a quick ride in a handbasket?

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Kidnap Suspect Amalia Tabata Pereira is Wife of MLB Player Jose Tabata (PHOTOS)

sweatpantsmom — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:40:00 GMT

The wife of Pittsburg Pirates player Jose Tabata, Amalia Tabata Pereira, is suspected of kidnapping a two-month old child in Florida. Pereira was found with the missing infant in Bradenton, Fla. about 50 miles away from Plant City, where the baby's mother lives and first reported her missing. Doesn't Pereira know there's no kidnapping in baseball?

No word on how long Pereira, 43, has been married to the 20-year-old ballplayer, but it's being reported that she has four different aliases. I wonder if one of them is Mrs. Robinson.

According to police reports, Rosa Sirilo-Francisco, the baby's mother, handed over her child to a woman she said claimed to be an immigration official. The woman, who called herself 'Janet,' told the mother that immigration officers were waiting for Sirilo-Francisco and the child's father at their home to deport them to Mexico. 'Janet' claimed she wanted to help the couple, but she had to take the baby with her. After Sirilo-Francisco handed over her child but then realized what happened she called authorities and an Amber Alert was issued.

None of the reports I read state a motive for the kidnapping, but I'm thinking Pereira was pretending to be pregnant, and then abducted a child to try and convince family and friends (and Tabata) that she had given birth. Which is a great plan, because who's going to suspect anything when you leave the house to go grocery shopping, and then return a couple of hours later cradling an infant and telling everyone you've given birth?

We'll keep you posted on this one.

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A-Rod Admits Steroid Use (As if His Kids Haven't Had Enough Embarrassment)

Whit Honea — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 20:45:00 GMT

For any of you kids reading this at home, this is how you have a banner year. First you wreck your marriage and put your wife and kids in the papers and then you admit to tarnishing the national pastime, which, granted, wasn't that shiny to begin with.

Alex Rodriguez has admitted to taking ~~steroids~~ performance-enhancing drugs over a three-year period while playing with the Texas Rangers, hence damaging his role-model status. Did he still have role-model status?

What are A-Rod's kids supposed to think about this? Is Daddy the greatest baseball player of our day or just another hopped-up hoax.

A-Rod tells ESPN's Peter Gammons, "When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure, felt all the weight of the world on top of me to perform, and perform at a high level every day.

"Back then, [baseball] was a different culture. It was very loose. I was young, I was stupid, I was naïve. I wanted to prove to everyone that I was worth being one of the greatest players of all time.

"I did take a banned substance. For that, I am very sorry and deeply regretful."

The full interview will air tonight during the 6 p.m. ET showing of "SportsCenter."

I'll admit that I'm a Yankee fan, but I've never taken to A-Rod, not even when I was living in Seattle and got to enjoy him and Jr. underachieving.

More news is sure to follow and it probably won't be good, but at least the image of Rodriguez and Madonna is finally out of my head.

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Tampa Bay Rays' Gabe Gross and Wife Expecting

Karl Erikson — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:16:00 GMT

Congratulations to Rays' outfielder Gabe Gross and his wife, Kelly. They're expecting their first child in May. The couple is ecstatic about the baby news.

The year hasn't been the easiest for Gabe, 28 - he got traded from the Brewers to the Rays, but he's a happy camper now. The Tampa Bay Rays are kicking some ass, and might head to the World Series.

The Rays go against the Boston Red Sox tonight for Game 5 of the American League series. Go Rays!

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Jose Conseco Caught Smuggling Steroids

Karl Erikson — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 12:33:00 GMT

What do you know? Former baseball "great" Jose Conseco, father of daughter Josie, has been detained at the U.S./Mexico border for illegal posession of steroids. I KNOW! How shocked are you? Stunned, right?

Looks like Jose, who wrote a tell-all biography a few years ago about his use of steroids while playing major league ball, will be appearing in Federal Court on Tuesday.

Guess you can't unlearn stupid, can you?

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Mike Cameron and Wife Welcome Daughter

Whit Honea — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:33:00 GMT

Mike Cameron of the Milwaukee Brewers missed the birth of his new baby. No, it wasn't intentional. His new daughter, Lilo, was born a month early.

His wife JaBreka and the baby are doing fine.

The couple have three other children.

Said Cameron, "I have no idea why it happened so early, but it did and it's a blessing. I'm in awe about it a little bit."

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Damon Welcomes Daughter!

Whit Honea — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 21:09:00 GMT

Johnny Damon of the New York Yankees and his wife Michelle welcomed their fourth child earlier this week.

Their new daughter is named Danica and mom and baby are well.

Damon rejoined the Yankees for their final games at the historic Yankee Stadium.

Congrats, Damons.

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Brave Jo-Jo is Now Pa-Pa

Whit Honea — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:45:00 GMT

Joseph "Jo-Jo" Reyes is now Joseph "Pa-Pa" Reyes. He and his wife Jamie welcomed a new daughter, Peyton, on Wednesday.

Congratulations, Reyes.

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Josh Hamilton is Having a Banner Year

Whit Honea — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 20:33:00 GMT

Texas Ranger (baseball, not Walker) and star of the Home Run Derby Josh Hamilton got one more home run this week when his wife Katie gave birth to Michaela, their third daughter.

Congratulations to the Hamilton family.

Josh Hamilton Loves God and Baseball

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New Baby for Glen Perkins

Whit Honea — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Pitcher Glen Perkins of the Minnesota Twins and his wife Alisha welcomed their second daughter, Lyla, to the family on Sunday.

The couple aslo have a 20-month-old daughter named Addison.

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This Post is About Adoption and Twins and Guerrier NOT Brad and Angelina

Whit Honea — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:47:00 GMT

I just thought I should make it clear that this post, which is about Twins player Matt Guerrier and his wife Dejie adopting a baby girl is actually about them and not Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie. You see, the Jolie-Pitts are a hot item and things like "adoption" and "twins" are what we in the business call "keywords." Actually, we don't call them anything, but if we did I think "keywords" would be a good name.

No, this post is about Matt Guerrier of the Minnesota Twins and his wife Dejie and the little bundle of happiness that they were able to add to their family. This past weekend they adopted Ava Grace and brought her home from the hospital.

Congratulations to the Guerrier family.

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Cliff Floyd Welcomes Daughter

Whit Honea — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:49:00 GMT

Cliff Floyd of the Rays and his wife Maryanne welcomed a baby daughter on Saturday.

The little girl is named Layla, yes, after the song.

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Sunday Cute Shot: A-Rod and N-Rod

Whit Honea — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 11:14:00 GMT

Her name is Natasha, N-Rod sounds mean or dirty, doesn't it? I was playing off of the A-Rod, C-Rod thing, but let's just call her Natasha.

Here she is with her daddy Alex Rodriguez. Say what you will about A-Rod and the mess he's made, but one thing is for sure, he loves that little girl.

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Ryan Theriot Welcomes New Cub

Whit Honea — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:04:00 GMT

Chicago Cub Ryan Theriot and his wife Johnnah welcomed their third child on July 14th. Georgia Grace joins siblings Houston and Macey on the Theriot bench.

Congratulations.

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Beer or Baby: Guess the Belly

Whit Honea — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 22:26:00 GMT

You are looking at celebrity belly. The question is, are you looking at a baby bump or a pony keg? You make the call.

If you went with the brew then you were right! Congratulations.

This fine trophy to the high life belongs to Mr. Philip Seymour. Hey, sorry dude. If it makes you feel better, I'm working on one, too.

By the way, what's up with the Baltimore hat and Yankees shirt? Are you wearing Red Sox underoos?

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Spying on the Neighbors: 7-15-08

Whit Honea — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:03:00 GMT

Damn, he hits far.

Christian Bale is cool (The Superficial)

Work it, David (Jezebel)

Heath's dad likes Dark Knight (Teen Hollywood)

A-Rod hangs the DJ (TMZ)

One Cross twin (Celebrity Moms)

Ryder Robinson finally getting a haircut? (dlisted)

A bit of Violet (Celebrity Baby Blog)

All-Star Daddy: Joe Girardi

Whit Honea — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:01:00 GMT

Yankee skipper Joe Girardi brought his son to All-Star batting practice- because he can. That's got to be awesome.

Photo: Jim McIsaac

All-Star Daddy: Ryan Dempster

Whit Honea — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:20:00 GMT

Chicago Cub Ryan Dempster brought his son to the Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium. Little Dempster is ready to play ball!

Photos: Jim McIsaac

Josh Hamilton Loves God and Baseball

Whit Honea — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:45:00 GMT

Did you watch the MLB Home Run Derby last night? If you did then you know what I'm talking about. If you didn't, then your loss. End of post.

Just kidding.

Alright, here's the short version on Josh Hamilton. He was a blue chip prospect a few years back- first guy taken in the draft. He had some issues that derailed his career, namely drugs and alcohol. He was out of baseball for 3 years during which he started having visions and found God and got his act together. He's back:

Last night Josh stood beneath the lights in Yankee Stadium and looked into the eyes of the 71-year-old man pitching to him. Hamilton had brought his old pitching coach from his childhood to pitch to him, making good on a promise once made. Josh Hamilton stood there at the plate, sober and determined and proceeded to hit 28 home runs in the first round, thirteen of them on consecutive swings. It was a record. It had the crowd roaring. It was a dream literally come true.

You could see the movie being made even as Josh ultimately lost the 3 round contest to Justin Morneau. A baseball movie about more than baseball. Kevin Costner would have to gain about 30 pounds for the role.

Josh is married to Katie who is pregnant. They have one daughter together and Katie has a daughter from a previous relationship.

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All-Star Daddy: Kosuke Fukudome

Whit Honea — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:47:00 GMT

Chicago Cub All-Star Kosuke Fukudome and his son enjoyed the festivities of the Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium.

Photo: Jim McIsaac

Brad Pitt Seeks Pretty Woman

Whit Honea — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:57:00 GMT

Apparently Brad Pitt was a bit concerned about raising twins and whether or not it was different than say raising 4 kids. He did what all of us do in times of trouble, he turned to Julia Roberts.

According to a source, "Brad was all frantic about knowing if the rules for twins are different than raising or taking care of single babies. But Julia told him it's the same - only twice as hard."

Hey, I could have told him that and the only twins I know are in Minnisota.

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A-Rod Asks for Divorce

Whit Honea — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:30:00 GMT

From the "I can't believe this didn't happen years ago" file, Alex Rodriguez has reportedly told his wife Cynthia that he wants a divorce.

This is coming on the heels of the whole Madonna/A-Rod/C-Rod/Lenny Kravitz lovers version of 4-square. While there are all sorts of rumors flying around, most notably on these pages, everyone is denying their own part in the affair(s).

Hasn't Alex seen Bull Durham? You don't pull this kind of crap during the season!

What is it, Rocco?

C-Rod Dumps A-Rod

Madonna and A-Rod and Cynthia and Lenny

Cynthia and Lenny

Just friends? Yeah, right

Cynthia Rodriguez is trashy

Cynthia Rodriguez calls names

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Is Rocco Ritchie Trying to Tell Us Something?

Whit Honea — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 17:58:00 GMT

This is Rocco, the son of Madonna and Guy Ritchie. It seems like he's trying to tell us something, but I can't quite figure it out...

Poor kid, it's got to be tough to have your mom's sex life being aired... oh wait, she likes to share that stuff. I forgot who I was talking about. Poor kid.

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Chris Rock Makes His Daughter Nervous

Whit Honea — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:29:00 GMT

Chris Rock's daughter Lola is always prepared. Look at her giving dad the eye. She knows it's only a matter of time, and she's ready.

What's up with the clothes for non-winners? A prison shirt and a Mets cap? Man, aim higher, Chris.

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In Which I Take Back Everything I Ever Said About Madonna

Whit Honea — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 22:13:00 GMT

Yeah, she's too old for for her old tricks and I thought she laid it on a bit thick during Coffee Talk, but that's all changed, and for good reason:

Madonna has introduced young David to the magic that is Yankee baseball. Well played, Madge.

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