A-Rod a Sudden Fan of Kabbalah

Drew Barrymore, converting to Judaism, is the latest

(NEWSER) - Drew Barrymore is getting married , but first she's—reportedly—converting to Judaism, the religion fiance Will Kopelman practices. She follows the tradition of these seven other celebrity spouses (or not-quite-spouses) who did the same thing, notes The Frisky :

• Isla Fisher: Converted to Judaism for Sacha Baron Cohen.
• Jesus Luz: Started following Kabbalah for Madonna.

Fans third Twins batter to ice it

(AP) - Mariano Rivera set the major league record with his 602nd career save, pitching a perfect ninth inning today to preserve the New York Yankees' 6-4 win over the Minnesota Twins. With fans standing and cheering from his first pitch to his last, Rivera retired Trevor Plouffe, Michael Cuddyer, and Chris Parmelee to end it. Parmelee looked at strike three—it appeared to be Rivera's signature cutter—as Yankee Stadium roared in approval. More»

League to interview Yankees' Rodriguez about alleged gambling

(NEWSER) - Alex Rodriguez may have wagered more than he thought. The Yankees slugger is facing possible suspension over alleged involvement in high-stakes poker games, reports ESPN . The third baseman is accused of playing in at least two games—one at the Beverly Hills mansion of a record producer that included open cocaine use and the threat of violence when another poker player lost "more than a half-million dollars," according to a person who claims to have been in the game. (Details on that from Star, via Radar .) More»

Former pitcher was 42

(NEWSER) - Onetime Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabu has been found dead in his Southern California home at age 42. Police are investigating the case as a suicide, reports AP . Born in Japan, Irabu was signed in 1997 with great fanfare by the San Diego Padres, but he was traded to the Yankees the same year; he said they were the only team that interested him. He went 29-20 over 3 years for the team and was traded to the Montreal Expos in 1999 before retiring in 2002, the New York Post reports. He was 34-35 overall, never quite living up to expectations of being the Japanese Nolan Ryan. More»

Older teams seem to do better in early games

(NEWSER) - Maybe they can't concentrate when they're missing Wheel Of Fortune. The Yankees have the second-oldest lineup in baseball, and it may be the reason the team is on pace to have the best day-game record in history. They boast an .829 winning percentage under the sun, but a middling .476 under lights—which is also the biggest day-to-night game difference since night games debuted in the '40s, reports the Wall Street Journal . More»