Yankees baseball blog

Roger Clemens had 10-year fling with country star Mindy McCready

Roger Clemens carried on a decade-long affair with country star Mindy McCready, a romance that began when McCready was a 15-year-old aspiring singer performing in a karaoke bar and Clemens was a 28-year-old Red Sox ace and married father of two, several sources have told the Daily News.

The revelations could torpedo claims of an unsullied character that are central to the defamation suit Clemens filed Jan. 6 against his former personal trainer Brian McNamee. Vivid details of the affair could surface in several media projects that McCready is involved with - including a documentary that begins filming today in Nashville, a new album and a reality show. Continue

Was that blood or red paint?

More than two years after the fact we still don't truly know whether that really was blood on the sock of Boston's pitcher / publicist Curt Schilling during the 2004 postseason. Last night, however, we received an interesting second-hand admission that it was staged with - get this - red paint.

Red Sox officials are incensed this morning it's even a question, and Yankees fans surely have to be bothered by this, as well. Every time that darn Schilling sock is mentioned, it reminds Yankee fans of perhaps their worst week in franchise history, when they became the first baseball team to blow a 3-0 lead in a best-of-seven series, to the Red Sox, no less. Continue

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Cy for Santana, Chien-Ming 2nd

For the second straight year, a Yankees pitcher was the runnerup for the AL Cy Young Award. Chien-Ming Wang capped a tremendous breakout season by finishing behind only two-time unanimous selection Johan Santana in baseball writers' voting released yesterday. Wang's 19 wins tied him for the league lead with Santana, who also paced the AL in ERA, strikeouts and innings pitched as Minnesota's ace lefty earned his second unanimous Cy Young win in three seasons.

"After winning the first Cy Young, I was trying to show people that what happened in 2004 wasn't a fluke," Santana said. "I wanted to show everybody I'm a proven pitcher and I'm able to do this. I know as long as I can stay healthy, I'm going to do my best. But I still believe I can be better." Continue

Red Sox show yen for 'Zaka

With the official announcement last night that Boston had won the rights to negotiate with Daisuke Matsuzaka, the clock started on the Red Sox's 30-day window to sign the Japanese pitcher to a contract and perhaps turn him into an icon in the Yankee-Red Sox rivalry, such as Johnny Damon or Jose Contreras, two other stars the teams have clashed over.

The Red Sox's winning bid, announced in Japan as $51.11million by Matsuzaka's club, the Seibu Lions, towered over the Yankees' $32 million offer. The Mets, who a baseball official said bid $38 million, apparently finished second in the Matsuzaka Sweepstakes. Neither New York GM expressed any anguish after the announcement, which came last night in simultaneous press conferences, one at the GM meetings here and one in Japan. "Congratulations to them," Yankee GM Brian Cashman said of the Sox. "You want something, you go after it." Continue

MLB will sanction, sell supplements

Union head Donald Fehr met for nearly two hours with the Yankees yesterday, and part of the discussion centered around Major League Baseball's reported plan to begin selling approved supplements in an attempt to produce fewer positive drug tests amid the game's ongoing crackdown on steroids and other banned substances.

The Associated Press reported last night that MLB and the Players' Association are having NSF International, a company based in Ann Arbor, Mich., certify that products are clean before they can be made available for resale to players in the 30 major-league clubhouses. Continue

Ryan & Jays close deal

B.J. Ryan, a hard-throwing lefty closer whom the Yankees and Mets inquired about early on in free agency, signed a five-year, $47 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays last night, the Daily News has learned.

Ryan, 29, had 36 saves in 41 attempts for the Orioles last season and had been pursued by the Indians, Tigers and Red Sox. The Mets and the Phillies viewed him as a fallback in case they could not sign Billy Wagner and the Yankees hoped they could convince him to set up for Mariano Rivera. Continue

Lawton tests positive; 10-day ban in '06

If the Yankees had even a remote interest in bringing back Matt Lawton - and there's scant evidence they did - yesterday's news put an end to such thoughts. Lawton failed a steroids test, Major League Baseball announced, so the free agent will begin the 2006 season by serving a 10-day suspension.

"I made a terrible and foolish mistake that I will regret for the rest of my life," Lawton said, in a statement to The Associated Press. "I take full responsibility for my actions and did not appeal my suspension. I apologize to the fans, the game, my family and all those people that I let down. I am truly sorry and deeply regret my terrible lapse in judgment." Continue

Rocket to Rangers?

The Yankees could have some competition for Roger Clemens' services, after all, and this would be a battle in which George Steinbrenner lacked the home-field advantage. The seven-time Cy Young Award winner has expressed interest in joining the Texas Rangers, according to two people familiar with Clemens' thinking. On Feb. 6, Newsday reported that Clemens, who will turn 43 Aug. 4, made a handshake agreement with Astros owner Drayton McLane upon signing a one-year, $18-million contract for 2005. McLane agreed to trade Clemens to the Yankees if the Astros fell out of the pennant race.

In an interview with ESPN last month, Clemens, who refused to commit to playing the entire 2005 season with the Astros, said he would permit a trade only to the Yankees. Since then, however, the Rangers have surged, putting together a nine-game winning streak before losing last night in Detroit. Texas' hot streak apparently has piqued Clemens' interest in the Rangers. Continue

Schilling may miss opener

Curt Schilling may not be ready to face the Yankees on Opening Day. On the same day he was served with a subpoena to testify before the House Government Reform Committee, Schilling threw to batters for the first time since winning Game 2 of the World Series. Recovering from right ankle surgery on Nov. 9, Schilling said he's unlikely to pitch against the Yanks and former teammate Randy Johnson on April 3 in the Bronx.

A flu that left him bedridden earlier this week set back his timetable. "The math right now doesn't add up very well," Schilling said yesterday. "I'd like to think it's important for me to get back ... but that doesn't change the timetable." Schilling said he will go to the congressional hearing but thinks he has "nothing" to offer the panel. Continue

MLB brushback pitch

Major League Baseball swung back yesterday as a congressional panel subpoenaed some of the sport's biggest stars - including scandal-scarred Yankee slugger Jason Giambi - to answer questions about steroids. Baseball executives vowed to go to court to stop the House Government Reform Committee from making Giambi, and home run kings Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire, among others, testify next week on Capitol Hill.

Ex-Yankee Jose Canseco, who roiled baseball with his tell-all book about alleged steroid use, also was called to testify, along with pitcher Curt Schilling and sluggers Rafael Palmeiro and Frank Thomas. Continue

'Idiots' clam up as Terry clamps down

As manager of the team that ended the Curse of the Bambino, Terry Francona already had accomplished a feat of a lifetime. Now it seems he has pulled off another one: For the moment, at least, he has managed to get his Red Sox to pipe down. No less a talker than Kevin Millar actually zipped his lips yesterday when basically he was asked why the Red Sox were sniping at Alex Rodriguez early in spring training. "There's our first A-Rod (question)," Millar said sarcastically. Then he looked out over the crowd of reporters at his locker and said pointedly: "What else?" Continue

Barry takes his cuts

Barry Bonds sat behind a small table at yesterday's news conference here, but he may as well have been in the batter's box. The beleaguered slugger took the media's best pitches, watching some go by, fouling off others and, as usual, slamming many out of the park.

The 40-year-old Giants star broke his silence for the first time since his grand jury testimony in the BALCO case was leaked in December. His handlers said questions about BALCO and his personal life were off limits, but the topic of steroids dominated the 30-minute session with reporters on the day Bonds reported to spring training. Continue

Jose's raging 'roids

Jose Canseco's stick-and-tell memoir continued to shock the baseball world yesterday with veiled accusations against one of the game's most respected pitchers - seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens. The book, "Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big," suggests Clemens' late-career success comes from steroids, while also pointing a meaty finger at home-run kings Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa, 2002 AL MVP Miguel Tejada and several journeymen as steroid users.

His allegations about those players are not based on first-hand knowledge, he admits. The book was available in some New York stores yesterday and is the subject of a "60 Minutes" segment to be broadcast tomorrow night. Randy Hendricks, one of Clemens' agents, responded angrily to any suggestion of steroid use by the former Yankee star, saying, "Neither Roger nor I have seen the book, but any such suggestion is absurd on its face." Continue

Red Sox ace 'feeling very good' about recovery

Curt Schilling might be ready for Opening Day after all. The Boston Red Sox ace who underwent ankle surgery after the team won the World Series is throwing again, and manager Terry Francona wouldn't be shocked if Schilling starts against the Yankees and their new pitching star in the season opener April 3 in New York. "It gives him a target date to shoot for," Francona said Tuesday. "It's the Yankees. It's Randy Johnson. That revs him up even more." Schilling told The Associated Press on Tuesday that pitching the opener was still his goal. "I'm feeling very good about things now," he said. Continue

Canseco confessions

Swollen ex-slugger Jose Canseco lays waste to the game that made him famous in a shocking new book, outing several stars as steroid abusers, the Daily News has learned. The book, "Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big," published by Regan Books and scheduled to hit bookstores Feb. 21, already is causing a firestorm in baseball circles. Players, agents, union officials and Major League Baseball executives have been burning up the phone lines over the past several days trying to find information about the book's contents.

"Hoo boy," one top major league executive said. "This is going to be bad." Canseco apparently dropped the title he told reporters a year ago he would use, "Dare to Truth." The longtime Oakland star, who made a brief appearance with the Yankees in 2000, claims he introduced steroids to the game and injected fellow Bash Brother Mark McGwire in the rear end numerous times in clubhouse bathroom stalls. He also describes watching disgraced Yankee slugger Jason Giambi and McGwire injecting each other when they both played with the Oakland A's, and says he personally taught All-Star and potential Hall of Famers Ivan (Pudge) Rodriguez, Rafael Palmeiro and Juan Gonzalez to use 'roids after he was traded to the Texas Rangers in 1992. Continue

Small-market owners are fed up, big time

It will never happen, this novel idea that was floated a couple of days ago by Washington Nationals interim general manager Jim Bowden, even if it speaks directly to the remaining Big Lie in baseball now that steroid use has been somewhat addressed. For years baseball has tried to peddle this ridiculous dream that any big-league team blessed with enough know-how, desire and luck could win the World Series regardless of its payroll.

It's a big, fat lie, of course. It's nothing but a marketing ruse that's meant to sell hope in the hinterlands, though there is none. A huge payroll doesn't guarantee success in baseball, but a lean payroll means almost certain failure. Continue

Mets reach deal with Beltran

The Mets have reached an agreement in principle on a $119-million, seven-year deal with free-agent Carlos Beltran, Newsday has learned.

Beltran, a multitalented centerfielder who provides immediate credibility, is expected to take a physical Monday and sign the deal Tuesday. The press conference is likely to take place Tuesday.

The Mets and Beltran's agent Scott Boras put the finishing touches this morning on a deal that is worth $17 million annually. The Mets sweated out Beltran's intense but ultimately failed negotiations with his former team, the Houston Astros, late Saturday night. It is believed the Astros were offering at least $105 million. Continue

Hall calls Boggs, Sandberg

Wade Boggs and the Cubs' Ryne Sandberg, who weren't exactly prototype players at their position, became the newest members of the Baseball Hall of Fame yesterday in an election that signaled real hope for a breakthrough by the standard-bearer relievers next year.

Boggs, the singles-hitting third baseman who amassed 3,010 hits and five American League batting titles, was named on 474 of the record 516 ballots cast for a 91.9% plurality in his first year of eligibility. Sandberg, a rare (in his time) power-hitting second baseman who retired with the most homers in history at that position, just narrowly eclipsed the necessary 75% (387 votes) for election by being named on 393 ballots (76.2%). It was his third time on the ballot. Continue

Mets to woo Carlos

With the ink barely dry on Pedro Martinez's contract, the Mets have made Carlos Beltran a top priority, two baseball officials familiar with the situation said yesterday.

After weeks of internal discussions about Beltran, the Mets are prepared to make a serious push for the 27-year-old centerfielder, who already has visited with the Yankees and Astros. Luring Martinez away from the Red Sox was a nice coup for new general manager Omar Minaya, but getting Beltran will be a far more difficult - and costly - undertaking for a number of reasons.

Beltran's agent, Scott Boras, is looking for a 10-year deal worth $200 million. It was Boras who scared the Mets away from bidding on Alex Rodriguez after the 2000 season. The difference this time is that the Mets are coming off three disastrous years, not a World Series appearance, and principal owner Fred Wilpon apparently has entrusted Minaya with his checkbook to buy back some of that lost respectability. Continue

Reds' pitching overhaul continues with Milton's addition

Free agent Eric Milton and Cincinnati agreed to a $25.5 million, three-year deal Monday as the Reds kept revamping their pitching staff.Milton, 29, led Philadelphia in wins, starts and strikeouts last season, going 14-6 with a 4.75 ERA in 34 starts with 171 strikeouts.

His contract calls for a $4 million signing bonus, $4 million in 2005, $8.5 million in 2006 and $9 million in 2007, matching the total value of Matt Clement's deal with Boston.The signing gives the Reds a proven left-hander in a rotation that desperately needed one.Milton went 71-57 with a 4.76 ERA in 200 appearances with Minnesota and Philadelphia. He made the AL All-Star team in 2001, and went 1-0 with a 1.65 ERA with the Twins in the 2002 and 2003 playoffs.  Continue

A's send Mulder to St. Louis for three players

The Oakland Athletics traded their second top starter in three days, sending left-hander Mark Mulder to the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday for a package of prospects.

Mulder follows Tim Hudson out of town, leaving Barry Zito as the only remaining member of Oakland's vaunted "Big Three" pitchers. Hudson was dealt to Atlanta on Thursday for three mostly unproven players. Mulder could be the top-notch pitcher the Cardinals sorely lacked when they got swept by the Boston Red Sox in the World Series, but that's if he's healthy. Continue

Braves get A's Hudson

The Atlanta Braves made another huge pitch for success, getting Tim Hudson from Oakland. And the Seattle Mariners added another slugger, grabbing Adrian Beltre off the free-agent market.

In a brisk day for deals, the Braves made the biggest trade of the offseason yesterday - so far.

With Los Angeles, Boston and the Yankees rumored to be pursuing Hudson, the Braves swooped in and got the Athletics ace for outfielder Charles Thomas and pitchers Juan Cruz and Dan Meyer.

The Braves have won 13 straight division titles. Last Saturday, they got All-Star closer Dan Kolb from Milwaukee - a deal that allowed them to move John Smoltz back into the rotation.

"This winter, we have set our sights on going back to sort of the old-fashioned Braves' way of building championship teams with dominant pitching," Atlanta general manager John Schuerholz said. "That's what we think we have done with the pitching staff we have put together for the season." Continue

Astros up ante to keep Beltran

Carlos Beltran is being courted by four teams, super agent Scott Boras says, but it figures to come down to Yankees and Astros in battle for jewel of this year's free-agent class. Getty Images

While the Yankees remain the favorite to eventually land Carlos Beltran, the Astros aren't going to let the jewel of the free agent class leave Houston without making a serious effort to retain him.

A source close to the situation said the Astros are prepared to go significantly higher than the numbers attached to a reported five-year, $70 million offer.

"They have the money to spend and [Beltran] likes Houston," the source said.

But do they have Yankee money? Probably not. And since Beltran is represented by Scott Boras, money is the biggest factor in negotiations. Many believe Beltran will eventually ink a seven-year deal worth $105 million. Continue

Mets inching closer to signing P Martinez

The New York Mets are making a strong push to close on a deal with marquee free agent right-hander Pedro Martinez, with indications that a four-year guaranteed offer could be close to delivering him.

"We are still in dialogue," said Mets general manager Omar Minaya as he left the hotel here to return to New York early Monday afternoon. "I'm going to get on a plane now. The good news is that we're still in dialogue."

Minaya declined to comment on a Boston Herald report that Martinez and the Mets have agreed to terms. The newspaper reported that the two sides were working on a four-year, $56 million deal. Continue

Wells to join Red Sox with deal worth up to $18 million

David Wells, after years of rhapsodizing about the wonder of the New York Yankees, is about to join their biggest rival: The portly left-hander is on the verge of signing a two-year deal with the Boston Red Sox, according to Greg Clifton, representative of the free agent pitcher.

The deal is expected to be announced Saturday. Sources close to the talks told SportsLine.com that the two-year deal guarantees Wells, $8 million and could be worth as much as $18 million. Wells' base salary in each year will be $4 million, and it could rise to as much as $9 million in each year if he makes as many as 30 starts. Continue