DAILY PITCH Jul,22,11

Bryan Stow opens eyes, makes hand gesture

Bryan Stow, the San Francisco Giants fan critically beaten at Dodger Stadium, opened his eyes Friday and attempted to make a gesture with his fingers, according to a statement released by his family.The family also reported that he attempted to mouth "Stow" when a nurse asked him his name. Though they are the most encouraging outward signs since Stow was placed in a medically induced coma in April, the family stated they remain "cautiously optimistic" and aware that further setbacks may occur.
One such setback occurred Monday, when Stow had emergency surgery after a 30-second seizure caused by "massive amounts of fluid in his brain." Stow, 42, is hospitalized in serious condition in San Francisco.
On Thursday, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested three suspects in the case while ruling out another man originally brought into custody in relation to the beating.
See photos of: Bryan Stow

Tigers' Rod Allen stumbles into 'rice and beans' remark

Rod Allen may find himself in some hot water over comments made about, of all things, the offerings in the Detroit Tigers' postseason spread.Allen, in his ninth season as the analyst for Detroit Tigers TV broadcasts, noted on Thursday's broadcast that with the addition of third baseman Wilson Betemit, the club's lineup was "almost an all-Latin squad tonight." Seven of nine, in fact, as play-by-play man Mario Impemba noted.
Allen then suggested that the Twins "are going to have to get some rice and beans for the postgame spread tonight."
Nervous laughter ensued from Impemba. And then, the 2-and-2 pitch...
As one observer notes, Allen's crack may not merit disciplinary action, though it wouldn't be without precedent. Fox fired Steve Lyons after an attempt at humor with former manager Lou Piniella created the impression Latin Americans might be more apt to steal his wallet.
Allen, at the least, may feel compelled to explain his clumsy attempt at humor.

Baseball girds itself for some excessive high heat

Forget about peanuts and Cracker Jack, and, for that matter, beer. At a half-dozen major league parks, bottles of Aquafina may be the order of the day.Excessive heat warnings and watches will be in effect in at least six cities hosting major league games Friday as a hideous heat wave envelopes the Northeast and parts of the Great Plains.
Fans in Baltimore, Boston, New York, Kansas City, Philadelphia and Cincinnati might be wise to ignore vendors' calls of "Cold beer here" and, instead, keep their focus on hydration. The high in Boston, where the Mariners play the Red Sox, is expected to reach 101. There have been just 24 days of 100-plus heat in Boston since 1872, according to the Weather Channel.
In Philadelphia, the club sent an advisory to fans with tickets to "take precautions and drink plenty of water before and during the game." They also were reminded that "factory sealed water bottles/juice boxes" can be brought into Citizens Bank Park. Well, that's nice of them.
In New York, the Yankees will provide sunblock and hydration stations for Saturday's game against the A's, which has a 1:05 p.m. ET start time.
As of early Friday afternoon, Baltimore earned the prize for nastiest conditions, wtih a temperature of 103 and a "feels like" of 123.
This suffocating wave of high pressure already forced Phillies ace Roy Halladay into a premature exit from a game earlier this week. Of course, unlike fans, players can always scamper to a climate-controlled clubhouse in a pinch.
Still, Twitter-literate players seemed prepared to buckle down for a grim weekend:
From Oakland's Brandon McCarthy:

I didn't set out to test the absorbency of my underwear today but by God that's what I've done. #humidity-notpee

Baltimore's Jeremy Guthrie:

Days like this in the HOT summer heat remind me of High School days setting up the 60 foot slip n slide down hill at friend's house!

San Diego's Heath Bell:

It is hotter than florida here in Philly. Gonna have to figure out some new ways to keep cool in the pen. #theforcebewithus

Tampa Bay's David Price:

Kidnap me from kc...too hott here

Class AAA Norfolk (Va.) infielder Brendan Harris:

1:15 and its 115 degrees with the heat index. Extremely comfortable.

Those in the know say relief should arrive by Sunday. Until then, be cool.

Bud Selig's letter to Frank McCourt pulls no punches

Bud Selig and his legal team at Major League Baseball are getting good at trashing Frank McCourt in the most elegant manner possible.The commissioner's disdain for the cash-poor owner (for now) of the Los Angeles Dodgers has gradually emerged in the public eye in recent months. Now, Selig's 11-page letter to McCourt rejecting the proposed TV deal between the Dodgers and Fox is part of court filings in the team's bankruptcy case.

REJECTED:  Judge rules Dodgers must accept MLB financing

The entire letter is a pretty good read, but here are some highlights:

"Because of your desperate need for immediate cash (to address your financial problems and the Club's liquidity crisis, and to settle your divorce), you have proposed an early and lengthy extension to the Club's existing contract with Fox without hearing or considering other options."

On what Selig says is an unprecedented $385 million upfront payment on the contract:

"No other owner has sacrificed so much of his team's future for an immediate payoff."

On McCourt funneling money to himself that "rightfully belongs to the Dodgers":

"This concern intensified when we learned that since 2004, you and your family members have received - through distributions and other payments - over $180 million from the Dodgers enterprise. ... When you submitted your June 7 (Fox contract) proposal, (it) indicated you would be using $100 million of the proceeds ... to pay personal obligations and debts of your affiliated entities -- much of which, I note, were incurred to finance your lifestyle, including your purchases of various residences and real estate in Malibu, Vail, Montana and Cabo."

First Pitch: Mets welcome back Wright, but prepare to deal Beltran

This New York Mets season has been defined more by arcane contract clauses or potential Ponzi paybacks rather than baseball statistics, its principal figures court-appointed bloodhounds rather than on-field personnel. Now, the club is in another awkward spot: Welcoming one star back while preparing to trade another.Tonight, third baseman David Wright, out since May 15 with a stress fracture in his lower back, will return to the lineup in the cleanup spot. And indications are that the club really, really won't be trading All-Star shortstop Jose Reyes by the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.
Yet the two steps forward are accompanied by the likelihood of another step back, as the club seems resigned to the fact that outfielder Carlos Beltran will be on the move, even though the Mets are on the fringes of playoff contention.
"I'm somewhat disappointed that we may not ever see the lineup we planned on having. Because it was pretty good," Collins said before the club's 6-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday.
Indeed, injuries to Wright, Reyes, first baseman Ike Davis and outfielder Angel Pagan and the specter of Beltran's departure has made continuity impossible. Despite all that, the Mets enter Friday's game at Florida a .500 team, and 8 1/2 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL wild-card race.

Tags:

New York Mets, Carlos Beltran ,David Wright