Braves Suspend Pitching Coach Over Gay Slurs, Threat

Starter Bennett does admirable job filling spot in Atlanta rotation

(NEWSER) - Chipper Jones homered twice for the second game in a row to lead Atlanta past the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-1 on Friday. Jones hit a three-run shot off Derek Lowe in the fifth to break open a 2-0 game, then added a solo homer against Chan Ho Park in the seventh to make it 6-1. More»

Five clubs sign sponsorship deals with distillers

(NEWSER) - Big-league baseball teams are hitting the hard stuff. After years of sponsorship from beer companies, five ball clubs this year have teamed up with liquor brands. The spirit of choice: tequila, which saw the biggest sales jump among spirits between 2001 and 2010. “Lots of people think of beer and hot days together, but we have a lot of fans who are interested in spirits,” an Atlanta Braves rep tells MarketWatch . “And for female fans, we can offer margaritas.” More»

Minor league manager Luis Salazar will return to work this season

(NEWSER) - An Atlanta Braves coach has lost his left eye after a foul ball hit him in the face. Luis Salazar, a minor league manager, was watching a spring training game when a line drive off the bat of the Braves’ Brian McCann hit him in the dugout. He was knocked out and the game was paused while he was airlifted to a hospital. Doctors treated him for facial fractures, the AP reports. More»

(NEWSER) - The biggest move on today’s baseball trading deadline looks to be one that wasn’t made, Fox Sports reports: Toronto kept ace right-hander Roy Halladay, who’d drawn interest from contenders in both leagues. The biggest name dealt was right-hander Jake Peavy, sent from San Diego to the Chicago White Sox for four young pitchers, Sports Illustrated notes. More»

(AP) - Braves president John Schuerholz has vowed to never again do business with Rafael Furcal's agents, whom Schuerholz has accused of conducting "despicable" dealings with the team, the AP reports. Schuerholz and Braves general manager Frank Wren were quoted as saying the Wasserman Media Group negotiated dishonestly by taking the team's signed terms of agreement sheet for Furcal to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who then reached a preliminary agreement Wednesday to re-sign the shortstop. More»