No need! I'm pretty selective about the players I'd like to see playing in Cleveland

C'mon, Joe....You do pimp an awful lot of players.

C'mon, Joe....You do pimp an awful lot of players.

How many are playing in Cleveland ???

At the start of the year I thought KC and Detroit would be the teams I most feared in our division. Detroit for obvious reasons and KC because I thought they improved themselves even more than us.

Something to consider: with last night's victory KC went to .500. The last time KC was .500 or better after June 1 was in 2003.

June 18, 2013

Manny in Taiwan

Manny Ramirez is among the leaders is most major batting categories in Taiwan's CPBL, and his EDA Rhinos are a game out of first place (Getty Images).

By Brandon DuBreuil

TAOYUAN, Taiwan --

In December of 2000, the Boston Red Sox signed Manny Ramirez to an eight-year, $160 million contract and asked him to do what no one else had been able to do in more than 80 years: bring a World Series to the city of Boston. Four years later, Manny delivered.

Fast-forward through 13 years, four MLB teams and a slew of off-field issues, and Ramirez has been asked to come through again. This time the contract is a little smaller and the task is a little different: Manny's job is to help save Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League.

Numerous game-fixing incidents over the last decade have plagued the league, and 2012 was just about rock bottom. A once-prosperous, seven-team league was down to just four teams and an average attendance of 2,433 per game. One of those four, the Sinon Bulls, had to fold, putting the league in danger of having just three teams. The E-United Corporation then stepped in and bought the franchise -- not as a sound business investment, but simply out of goodwill. The Bulls were renamed the EDA Rhinos.

Enter Manny Ramirez. Unable to find a contract stateside after two suspensions for PED use, the man with 555 career home runs signed a short-term contract to play in the Chinese Professional Baseball League, or CPBL. It was a perfect fit: Manny needed a stage, and the EDA Rhinos needed some way of jump-starting a franchise that finished 31 games out of first place while averaging 2,086 fans in 2012.

Ramirez, one the highest-paid players in league history at $25,000 a month, was a risky move by the Rhinos, but one that has paid off handsomely. Through a quarter of the season, the 2013 EDA Rhinos are averaging more than 10,500 fans per game -- an increase of 412 percent from last year. TV ratings have jumped 221 percent. And the team that finished dead last in 2012 now finds itself just a single game out of first as it chases down the half-season championship and an automatic berth in the league playoffs.

"He has helped the team a lot," says Rhinos closer Zach Hammes, a native of Iowa and former second-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2002. "He is a big stick in the middle of the lineup. And his presence can affect how pitchers pitch the guys before and after him."

Some might question Ramirez's motivation for playing second tier professional baseball thousands of miles away from his home and family. It can't be money, seeing as Ramirez has earned over $200 million in his illustrious career. (The Rhinos did not make Ramirez himself available for comment.)

"He may have a laid back personality on the outside, but the beast of baseball in him still lives!" says Dallas Williams Jr., the Rhinos hitting coach who also worked with Ramirez as the Red Sox's first base coach back in 2003. "He has a great sense of preparation and still remains a great student of hitting and the game of baseball. His routine is pretty much the same as the other players, although he may spend a few minutes more in the batting cage."

Ramirez is enjoying a successful season as a 41-year-old designated hitter. Through 52 games played, he sits third in the league with a .352 average, second in home runs (eight), and third in runs batted in (43). He's also fourth in walks and fifth in total bases.

Has Ramirez had to make any changes as he enters his third decade of professional baseball?

"We all get older and things don't work as quick for us for all our lives so we make adjustments," Williams Jr. says. "For example, he doesn't hold his hands as high as he did and his lower half in his setup is just a bit lower now. Just a couple of minor adjustments to shorten his path to the baseball.

"My advice to him is just to swing the bat!" Williams Jr. continues. "[Coaching Manny] is not difficult because he basically knows what he needs to do, I just remind him of a couple little things."

* * *

Three months into the CPBL season, the Ramirez signing has been a huge success, both statistically and financially. But if these were the only factors to consider when having a personality like Ramirez around, a MLB team likely would've given him the opportunity to work his way onto a roster at the league's minimum salary.

How often do they test for PEDs in Taiwan?

I really don't know. It appears they are more into price-fixing game mode.

You can't stop Puig, you can only try to contain him

Is or was there ever a hotter hitter in baseball right now?

Jay Bruuuce is on fire for the Reds! He just tied the game in the bottom of the 9th,

USA Baseball to host Cuba in collegiate series

US, Cuba to meet for second straight year in friendship series, first time in US since 1996

By USA Baseball / June 18, 2013

DURHAM, N.C. --

USA Baseball and the Cuban Baseball Federation announced today that their Collegiate National Team programs will compete for the second consecutive year in an international friendship series. Last year, the two countries resumed friendship-series play at the collegiate level after a 16-year hiatus, with Team USA traveling to Havana for a five-game series -- the host nation won the series, 3-2.

The 2013 edition will see the Cuban National Team travel to the United States, and feature games across three states from July 18-23.

"We are extremely excited to host the Cuban National Team this year," said USA Baseball executive director/CEO Paul Seiler. "Renewing our friendship series last year was a historic step for two countries that share an extremely rich baseball history. We hope with the success last year in Havana and this year's series in the United States, we will build the foundation to continue this series for the foreseeable future."

"Hosting the United States in 2012 was the culmination of hard work by both the U.S. and Cuba," said International Baseball Federation vice president Antonio Castro. "The games in Havana were an incredibly positive experience for the players and fans, and we look forward to the same kind of atmosphere this year in the United States."

The series will be the first in the U.S. between the two baseball-rich countries since 1996 when Cuba won a five-game series held in Minor League ballparks across four southern U.S. states, 3-2.

"Playing in Cuba was one of the best experiences of my playing career," said 2012 Collegiate National Team pitcher Carlos Rodon (North Carolina State), who will return in 2013. "I flew straight down from the Golden Spikes Award ceremony in New York; there was no way I was going to miss that trip. It meant a lot for me and my family to visit Cuba, and the opportunity to play against that competition while representing my country made the experience even better."

In 2013, the teams will take the field for the first time on July 18 in Des Moines, Iowa. Hosted by the Iowa Cubs at Principal Park, Team USA will play its first game in Des Moines since defeating Chinese Taipei, 7-1, in 2000.

On July 19 and 20, the Omaha Storm Chasers and the Omaha Sports Commission will host Games 2 and 3 of the international friendship series at Werner Park in Omaha, Neb. The games will continue a recent tradition of the Collegiate National Team playing in Omaha. In 2010, USA Baseball hosted Japan at Rosenblatt Stadium, and in 2011, hosted Japan at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.

The following day, the two teams will travel to the Triangle area of North Carolina to play the final two games of the international friendship series.

On Monday, July 22, the two teams will meet at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C., for Game 4, and Game 5 will be played the following night at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, N.C.

USA Baseball records show that the U.S. and Cuba's National Teams (U.S. professional teams did not begin competition until 1999) competed consistently each year from 1987-1996, with various friendship games played as early as the late 1970s. The series is among those with the richest history for USA Baseball, with its collegiate All-Star games against Japan serving as the longest-running friendship series, having just completed its 38th installment in 2011.

The games are the culminating event of the Collegiate National Team's 2013 summer tour, and they follow games in Japan from July 6-11 and 13 matchups with summer collegiate league all-star teams from June 22-July 2 and again from July 15-17.

The 2013 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team will be led by Texas Christian skipper Jim Schlossnagle. Players will be invited over the course of the college baseball season, and the final 24-man roster will be announced on June 30. The team will first gather for training on June 21 in Cary, N.C.

It will be interesting to see if Cuba sends any of their top draws, Jose Abreu, Alfredo Despaigne, Freddy Alvarez, Yordanis Samon, Vladimir Garcia, Guillermo Heredia, or maybe Yordan Mandulay. I would imagine that if any of these guys are on the team, security will be pretty tight. I don't know whether or not Frederich Cepeda will make the trip. He's injured and is on their DL list for 3 months. Cepeda, Despaigne and Abreu are the Cuban's best hitters. Vladimir Garcia and Freddy Alvarez are among their top pitchers. Defections could certainly take place. Anyone of these players will be worth top dollar.

Manny Ramirez hit .352 with 43 RBIs in Taiwan, but aside from five games in 2011, he hasn't played in the Majors since 2010. (AP)

Manny in pinstripes? It could be fascinating

Yankees are needy enough on offense and well-positioned to take a chance

Richard Justice By Richard Justice | Archive6/20/2013 2:33 P.M. ET

If you don't like the idea of Manny Ramirez playing for the New York Yankees, you have absolutely no sense of adventure.

Sure, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has steered the franchise far from players with the kind of baggage that accompanies Manny. Let's get that part of the story out of the way right here at the start. That is, there are plenty of Ramirez's former teammates, coaches, etc., who believe he quit on the Red Sox in 2008.

Their thinking is that Manny was unhappy the Red Sox hadn't offered him a new contract, so he took himself out of the lineup with injuries team doctors couldn't detect. He got his wish, both in getting traded to the Dodgers and in being signed to a $45 million extension.

To take a chance on Ramirez at age 41 is to go into the deal with eyes open. Manny has been one of the great offensive players of the past 50 years, and if he has anything left in the tank, he can help a Yanks team desperate for offense.

On the other hand, Manny is different. Sometimes, he's funny and playful. Sometimes, though, he can be infuriating.

However, there's also an easy case to be made for the Yankees giving Manny a shot. Or the Kansas City Royals, who also need offense. They've got one of the best pitching staffs in the game, but it's probably not going to be enough to get them to the playoffs. Ramirez would make the Royals more interesting, and he might make them better, too.

Manny might be the best option for either team, since either could pencil him in as their designated hitter and give him a chance to prove himself all over again.

The Nationals, Dodgers, Pirates and Phillies could also use some offense, but it's tough to imagine Ramirez playing the outfield at his age. Stranger things have happened, but it seems way more comfortable to view Manny strictly as a DH.

Neither the Yanks nor the Royals is likely to be able to land an impact bat at the Trade Deadline. For one thing, at least 20 teams are likely to be still be in contention on July 31, and the last thing any of them will do is start dismantling their club.

If there's an offensive player on the market, the bidding is going to be fierce. At the moment, the Yankees simply may not have the Minor League talent to swing such a deal.

And the Royals, who do have kids, have already traded their best hitting and pitching prospects, Wil Myers and Jake Odorizzi, to get James Shields and Wade Davis from the Rays.

Royals GM Dayton Moore would have to be convinced a trade would land his club in the playoffs before surrendering more of his Minor League talent. Ramirez comes at no cost. He likely will get a low base salary and plenty of incentives. He almost certainly would not land a deal beyond this season. So why not?

The A's saw Ramirez as a low-risk, potentially high-reward signing before the 2012 season. He had to know he would never get huge money again, so he was playing only because he clearly still loves the game. Manny was on his best behavior in Spring Training and then hit .302 in 17 games at Triple-A.

By the time Ramirez had served a suspension for a positive performance-enhancing drug test -- his second -- and played those 17 games, the A's had a logjam of outfielders and granted his request to be released. No other team was interested. (Manny hasn't played in the Major Leagues since appearing in five games for the Rays in 2011.)

Ramirez has been terrific in Taiwan this season, hitting .352 with eight home runs before leaving his team. How those numbers would translate in the Major Leagues is what teams are attempting to figure out.

Manny almost certainly would prefer to play for his hometown team, the Yankees. And what do the Yanks have to lose? Like the A's, they can build protection into the contract and release him if something goes wrong.

Here's where Cashman can lean on the franchise he has built. In going for Vernon Wells, Lyle Overbay, Travis Hafner and others, Cashman went for guys with a team-first attitude who would understand that playing for the Yankees is a privilege.

Manny is a lot of things, but dumb isn't one of them. He knows what the Yanks represent. Ramirez surely would know that they could provide him with the opportunity to put a better finishing touch on his career. He would also know they wouldn't put up with him misbehaving.

Only the Royals, Mariners and White Sox have scored fewer runs than the Yankees in the American League. Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira could return in the second half of the season, but there's no way of knowing how much they'll contribute.

Despite everything that has gone wrong, the Yanks are still positioned to win the AL East, and that's what makes Manny a fascinating possibility.

Ramirez would create a flurry of excitement, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Whether that's all he'd add is the question Cashman surely is trying to answer. He has nothing to lose by finding out.

Manny Ramirez leaving Taiwan

TAIPEI, Taiwan --

Slugger Manny Ramirez is leaving Taiwanese team The Rhinos after just 49 games because the club says he misses his family in New York.

His agent, however, told FoxSports.com on Wednesday that Ramirez wants to return to play in Major League Baseball.

"The reason he decided not to return for the second half was to free himself to be available to play in the United States," Barry Praver told the website. "This whole thing with Manny in Taiwan was a phenomenon. He invigorated the league. Attendance went through the roof. It was a very positive experience for both sides.

"Manny was so invigorated by his play there that he wants to return to the majors."

Ramirez hit .352 with eight home runs and 43 RBIs.

The Rhinos said they tried to keep the 12-time All-Star in Taiwan, including raising his monthly pay to almost $60,000 from $25,000.

Ramirez signed to play the March-to-November season with the Rhinos in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan. The team's website said the 41-year-old will depart Taiwan on Friday.

Rhinos manager Lee Chia-fan wasn't aware of Ramirez's future plans.

"We regarded highly of the contributions he has made here," the Rhinos said. "Although he is leaving us, he expressed the wish for the younger Rhino players to keep playing well."

Ramirez played 19 big league seasons and was selected MVP of the 2004 World Series, when the Red Sox won their first title since 1918.

His last major league appearance was with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2011.

In an interview with local TVBS Cable Station from Kaohsiung, an unidentified Ramirez relative dismissed reports that the slugger will join Japan's professional team Chiba Lotte Marines, saying he only wanted to rejoin his family.

Taiwan's professional baseball league consists of four teams, having been whittled down from a high of nine in 2008 amid a series of bribery and game-fixing scandals.

Ramirez was suspended for 50 games early in the 2009 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers after testing positive for human chorionic gonadotropin, a banned female fertility drug popular among steroid users because it can mitigate the side effects of ending a cycle of the drugs.

Ramirez retired in April 2011 after testing positive for elevated testosterone, but said after the season that he wanted to play again. Major League Baseball and the players' union agreed he would serve a 50-game suspension, and Ramirez played in the minors for Oakland in 2012 before asking for his release in June.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

So we have 1 final shot at manny

First place team with closer issues:

DETROIT -- After manager Jim Leyland announced Thursday that Joaquin Benoit would pitch the ninth inning when "healthy and available," the Tigers designated Jose Valverde for assignment Friday.

Valverde has struggled in his last eight outings, allowing 11 earned runs in 7 1/3 innings with two blown saves. In the ninth inning Wednesday against the Orioles in a non-save situation, he gave up four earned runs in 10 pitches.

The Tigers have 10 days to either trade Valverde, release him or outright him to the Minor Leagues. Valverde would have to clear waivers and accept an assignment in order to be outrighted.

"We have asked him if he would go to Triple-A for us and try to work with him there, try to get him straightened out," Tigers president/general manager Dave Dombrowski said. "We feel that's something we could accomplish there, if we were going to accomplish it, easier than here. It's a very difficult situation to fix that here with his arm angle. We're trying to get his split back."

The Tigers signed Valverde as a free agent on April 4 before bringing him up to the Majors on April 24. He had a 0.75 ERA in his first 12 appearances.

"We think we have a guy that can still close games for us, if we get him fixed," Dombrowski said. "His velocity has been fine, of course he has had command problems. The last couple weeks haven't been good. Before that, he threw the ball fine, and that's why we're hoping we can get him back. We figure we have nothing to lose if we try."

Detroit recalled right-handed reliever Al Alburquerque, who has been in the Minors since May 16 after struggling with his command earlier this season, from Triple-A Toledo.

Valverde hasn't declined a move to the Minors, but said he had to give it some time to think it over.

"Our goal, if he did accept it, wouldn't be to keep him there for an extended time," Dombrowski said. "It would be more of a matter of trying to get him fixed, and see if we can get him back to throwing the ball well and trying to get him back here."

Two more homers for Jay Bruce tonight! 5 homers in the last 4 games.