Baseball

Sammy Sosa homered for the 600th time last night, becoming just the fifth man to hit the storied mark. As the Texas Ranger rounded the bases in Arlington, the theme from "The Natural" played and the scoreboard pictured the other men who've reached the milestone—Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth, and Willie Mays. More »

Texas owner Tom Hicks says he suspected slugger Juan Gonzalez had used steroids, judging from his body's early and expeditious breakdown. Hicks bemoaned his $24 million, two-year investment, which resulted in 152 games and 32 home runs during 2002-03. "We just gave that money away," he said. More »

Fiery power-hitting catcher Michael Barrett is through in Chi-town, after he followed a genius 2006 campaign with a season marred by poor defense, erratic hitting, and a bloody feud with pitcher Carlos Zambrano. Cubs GM Jim Hendry denied that Barrett's off-field liveliness led to the trade, citing instead a need for defensive retooling. More »

With the Orioles at 29-40 after a brutal 1-8 homestand, three-year manager Sam Perlozzo was fired  yesterday. Perlozzo had accumulated a record of 122-164 in the unforgiving AL East, and had few backers left after a string of questionable moves, especially with regard to an underachieving bullpen that got a $40 million overhaul million during the offseason. More »

The Yankees took two out of three games against their interurban interleague rivals this weekend, capped by an 8-2 slaughter last night courtesy of sinker-server Chien-Ming Wang. Wang allowed only six hits through 8 2/3 and struck out 10, while Arod alone put up 3 RBIs—1 more than the sullen Mets, who have now lost 12 of their last 15 outings. More »

The Yankees have found their way back to the familiar side of .500 for the first time since April, with their eighth win in a row. The Yanks climbed to 32-31 at the expense of the Arizona Diamondbacks, aided by Alex Rodriguez's league-leading 25th home run and a strong eight innings from Mike Mussina. More »

Tigers fireballer Justin Verlander scored a spectacular no-hitter at home against the Brewers, the team with the NL's two leading home-run artists. The right-hander used his changeup and curve to devastating effect, chalking 12 Ks and allowing only three balls to reach the outfield in the 4-0 interleague victory. More »

This year's Phillies aren't as awful as tradition would suggest, but they can't fight history. From their perch a respectably mediocre two games over .500, they can see a new milestone: 10,000 losses. The Times visits Philadelphia, where the baseball has been so bad for so long that the never-before-accomplished feat lies a mere 14 defeats away. More »

The NCAA ejected a reporter for Louisville's Courier-Journal for blogging during the fifth inning of Louisville's semifinal romp over Oklahoma State, 20-2. The association forbids live Internet updates of games from those in attendance. The newspaper, citing First Amendment rights, is considering legal action. More »

New York slugger Alex Rodriguez is on track to break Roger Maris's team home run record of 61 after hitting two to help sweep the Pittsburgh Pirates, 13-6.  The Yankees abused their former starter Shawn Chacon, who lasted only 3.1 innings and gave up seven runs.  Pittsburgh went 3-12 last year against the American League. More »

Shannon Stewart hit a single with two outs in the 9th to blight Curt Schilling's bid for the first no-hitter of his career in Oakland. The Boston righty/blogger shook off his catcher's call for a slider and threw a fastball outside to the A's outfielder, who had been fooled outside all game. More »

Four days after Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano sent his battery partner Michael Barrett to the hospital with a split lip, manager Lou Piniella resolved their differences in a 10-minute reconciliation meeting. Piniella himself is serving a four-game suspension for kicking dirt at an umpire. Barrett will catch Zambrano in the future. More »

After signing a $27.5 million deal on Friday to coach the NBA's Orlando Magic, two-time champion coach Billy Donovan has decided he wants to stay in Gainesville after all.  This makes him the third college coach since June 2006 to renege on a new deal in order to stay with his school. More »

The Blue Jays were still upset a day after Yankees star Alex Rodriguez confused Jays third baseman Howie Clark by yelling at him while running the bases in the ninth inning. Clark was preparing to snag a fly ball, but then stepped aside, thinking the shortstop was calling the catch for himself. The play led to three Yankees runs. More »

The New York Post decorated its cover with a photo of Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez and an unidentified blonde woman they allege he took out for dinner at a steakhouse; the two then proceeded to a strip club. Rodriguez is married with a child, and his wife appeared with him in the 2004 Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. More »

The AL-leading Red Sox stuck it to the Indians, 4-2, as Josh Beckett continues the best season-opening run by a Boston pitcher since Roger Clemens started 14-0 in 1986. Beckett had spent 15 days on the disabled list with an irritated middle finger, but mystified Cleveland to the tune of three hits and two runs in seven innings. More »

With 746 home runs, Giants masher and suspected steroid user Barry Bonds is just 10 away from breaking the record. The souvenirs from his run at history, however, may be staying in the family, the crotchety superstar has announced. Curators at the Hall of Fame are concerned that they will have difficulty creating relevant exhibits without the items. More »

Seven-time Cy Young laureate Roger Clemens dominated a scoreless outing for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, as New York management prepares to announce whether the he'll make his next scheduled start in pinstripes. If he does, it'll be in Boston, against both the Yankees' arch-rival and Clemens' former squad. More »

Facing off against former teammate Tom Glavine, do-it-all Braves righty John Smoltz prevailed again for his 200th win—the most for any player with 150 saves or more. Smoltz was converted to a closer in 2001 and back to a starter in 2005, and his 154 saves are an Atlanta team record. More »

After soliciting four doctors' opinions, Yankees pitcher Carl Pavano will likely undergo surgery to repair ligaments in his pitching elbow, putting him out of commission through the end of the 2008 season and his four-year contract with New York.  Pavano had already missed a year and a half due to injuries to the shoulder, back, ribs, elbow, and buttocks. More »