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Sandy Koufax, the great Dodgers pitcher, turns 80 today. Happy birthday, Sandy! Wikipedia article Career statistics Baseball Hall of Fame Top stats to know as Sandy Koufax turns 80 Watch Sandy Koufax Highlights on Legend's 80th Birthday Direct link to video: Legend Series: Sandy Koufax HighlightsIMDb

Jim O'Toole, a star pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds in the 1960s, has died after a long battle with cancer. O'Toole was 78... He was the National League's starting pitcher in the 1963 All-Star Game. O'Toole called that one of his proudest career moments, recalling that manager Alvin Dark chose him to start with a roster that included future Hall of Fame pitchers Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Juan Marichal and Warren Spahn...

The Dodgers are finally going the statue route at Dodger Stadium and on Tuesday announced the first would be of Jackie Robinson. The Dodgers said the statue will be 9 to 10 feet tall and located at a stadium site to be determined during the 2016 season.

Greensboro resident Hal "Skinny" Brown, who pitched in the major leagues for 14 seasons, has died at age 91 ... Brown, who was 6 feet 2 and 180 pounds during his playing days, compiled a record of 85-92 with a 3.81 earned-run average in 358 appearances with the Chicago White Sox (1951-52), Boston Red Sox (1953-55), Baltimore Orioles (1955-62), New York Yankees (1962) and Houston Colt .45s (1963-64) ...

Yes, I would rather be thinking aloud about such things as Jeff Samardzija’s slightly ridiculous contract. (Shades of Bud Black.) About whether John Lackey’s and (especially) Jason Heyward’s signings with the Cubs really do make them a 2016 World Series entrant. (Berra’s Law still applies, as the 2015 Nationals can tell you.) About how much financial flexibility Michael Cuddyer’s retirement leaves the Mets. (Some, but maybe not quite enough to think about re-signing Yoenis Cespedes.) Or Johnny Cueto signing with the Giants. Among other things. But commissioner Rob Manfred has let it be known that Pete Rose isn’t going to...

Charlie Hustle is still out. Baseball's hit king Pete Rose got an early Christmas present from MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, and it wasn't what Rose had on his wish list.

The following piece was originally published in the March, 1958 issue of True, and is excerpted from The Top of His Game, a collection of W.C. Heinz's best sportswriting. It is reprinted here with permission from Gayl Heinz. "Down in Los Angeles," says Garry Schumacher, who was a New York baseball writer for 30 years and is now assistant to Horace Stoneham, president of the San Francisco Giants, "they think Duke Snider is the best center fielder the Dodgers ever had. They forget Pete Reiser. The Yankees think Mickey Mantle is something new. They forget Reiser, too." Maybe Pete Reiser...

"You're always in need of left-handed pitching, left-handed hitting, and in need of speed," he said. "I think that's the number one thing that's missing, I think, in the game is speed. You know, with the need for minorities, you can help yourself — you've got a better chance of getting some speed with Latin and African-Americans. "I'm not being racist," he added. "That's just how it is."

But in perhaps the game’s starkest good-news-bad-news case, only once did a single pitcher complete a nine-inning game without yielding a hit and still manage to lose it. The man who owns that two-faced distinction, Ken Johnson, whose otherwise middling 13-year career in the major leagues included stints with seven teams, died on Saturday in Pineville, La. He was 82.

Ruth A. Hartman, an accomplished local sheep breeder known locally and nationally as an original member of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, has died in Reading Hospital of injuries suffered over the weekend after her SUV struck a deer in Oley Township. - See more at: http://www.readingeagle.com/news/article/champion-sheep-breeder-from-limekiln-remains-critical-after-weekend-accident#sthash.ih8zyVSB.dpuf

National League C Yadier Molina, Cardinals 1B Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks 2B Dee Gordon, Marlins 3B Nolan Arenado, Rockies SS Brandon Crawford, Giants LF Starling Marte, Pirates CF A.J. Pollock, Diamondbacks RF Jason Heyward, Cardinals P Zack Greinke, Dodgers American League C Salvador Perez, Royals 1B Eric Hosmer, Royals 2B Jose Altuve, Astros 3B Manny Machado, Orioles SS Alcides Escobar, Royals LF Yoenis Cespedes, Tigers/Mets CF Kevin Kiermaier, Rays RF Kole Calhoun, Angels P Dallas Keuchel, Astros

MAUI (HawaiiNewsNow) - Major League Baseball player Jose Reyes, the shortstop for the Colorado Rockies, was arrested on Halloween after allegedly assaulting his wife in their Maui hotel room, sources say. Reyes and his wife, Katherine, were allegedly arguing in their Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea room that afternoon. His wife told responding officers that Reyes grabbed her off the bed and shoved her. Sources say she also told police that he grabbed her throat and shoved her into the sliding glass balcony door. Security called police and Reyes was arrested for abuse of a family or household member....

ATLANTA — Channel 2 Action news has learned former Altanta Braves pitcher Tommy Hanson, 29, has died. Multiple sources told Channel 2 Sports Director Zach Klein earlier in the day Monday that Hanson was in a coma after being moved to Atlanta’s Piedmont Hospital late Monday morning due to catastrophic organ failure. Hanson was moved to Piedmont so doctors could run a variety of tests to determine why his organs failed. The source said Hanson's problems started early Sunday morning and Hanson was then rushed to a nearby hospital after he started having trouble breathing.

Six-time MLB all-star Lance Berkman used to be a star on a field, but a starring role in an advertisement against a recently failed Houston equality referendum has some in the city wishing he’d fade away. In the ad, which took a stand against the Houston equal-rights ordinance (HERO), the former Houston Astros and Texas Rangers player urged everyone to “vote no” because it would allow “troubled men” to use women’s bathrooms. (snip) The fight for Berkman, however, seems to only have just begun. After the ordinance failed, Berkman doubled down on his comments and said he wasn’t just worried...

Dodgers starter Zack Greinke opted out of his contract to become arguably the top free-agent pitcher on the market Wednesday. Greinke, 32, figures to command a significant raise from the $23 million he made last year. He went 19-3 with a major-league leading 1.66 earned-run average and a 0.84 WHIP, making him a favorite for the National League Cy Young Award.

Outfielder Jonny Gomes gave quite a speech during Tuesday’s World Series celebration for the Kansas City Royals, who defeated the New York Mets four games to one on Sunday.

Hoping for your help in finding the source of a line from a song. I've Googled, and otherwise searched to no success. Am looking for the title of the song. The lyric below, is a baseball reference, and it may not be exact, but it is very close... "Hitch up your britches, take one of those pitches, and 'bam' it's over the fence".

Royals 7 Mets 2 in 12 innings

I waited for Mr. Ward. The HAS to be a World Series thread on this forum. Read tweece for typos.

GO Royals!!