Chicago Jackie Robinson West Vacates Little League World Series 2014 Wins

Chicago-based Little League program Jackie Robinson West has reportedly been forced to vacate its wins from the 2014 Little League World Series due to the use of players from outside its designated region. It also notes the title will be handed to Mountain Ridge Little League as a result.

Jackie Robinson West had defeated Mountain Ridge (Las Vegas) in the U.S. finals before losing to South Korea in the championship.

ESPN adds that team manager Darold Butler is suspended from Little League activity, and Illinois District 4 Administrator Michael Kelly is no longer in that position.

San Francisco Giants Wins World Series

John Rieger/USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco Giants beat the Kansas City Royals, 3-2, to win Game 7 of the 2014 World Series and earn their third championship in the last five seasons. Though starting pitcher Tim Hudson could not escape the second inning in the game, the Giants’ bullpen shut down the Royals the rest of the way to lead San Francisco to yet another World Series win.

Madison Bumgarner pitched five innings of near-perfect relief and the San Francisco Giants held off the Kansas City Royals 3-2 Wednesday night in Game 7 of the World Series for their third championship in five seasons.

With both starters chased early, this became a matchup of bullpens. And no one stood taller than the 6-foot-5 Bumgarner, who added to his postseason legacy with a third victory this Series.

After center fielder Gregor Blanco misplayed Alex Gordon's drive for a single and two-base error, Bumgarner got Salvador Perez to pop foul to third baseman Pablo Sandoval for the final out.

The Giants ended a Series streak that had seen home teams win the last nine Game 7s. San Francisco took this pairing of wild-card teams after earning titles in 2012 and 2010.

Jose Bautista continues to lead way for Blue Jays in victory over Cubs

Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays hits a three-run double in the seventh inning during MLB game action against the Chicago Cubs on September 9, 2014 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)

Lost in all of the debate back in July regarding Jose Bautista’s complaints about the Toronto Blue Jays’ inability to make a meaningful trade was the right-fielder’s play. Which is to say, yet again, Bautista is the team’s best player by a wide margin.

Bautista came into Tuesday’s game with a .288 batting average and an on-base percentage just shy of .400. He had homered in six straight home games, giving him 32 for the year, plus 92 runs batted in. And unlike nearly every one of his teammates in the field, he has largely stayed healthy.

That has played a big part in him surpassing 5.0 wins above replacement (Fangraphs’ calculation), a statistic that tries to capture a player’s overall contribution, for the third time in his career. Only Carlos Delgado and Devon White have accomplished the same feat as position players with Toronto. It is an arbitrary cut-off point, sure, and a flawed statistic, but indicative of consistent excellence.

As with Delgado (and Roy Halladay, who had an amazing six such seasons in Toronto), the Blue Jays appear doomed to waste Bautista’s brilliance. Still, he is going to go out swinging. He had the key hit in a second-straight Toronto win over the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, a 9-2 victory.

The Blue Jays will have to win the vast majority of their 18 remaining games to make a run at one of the two wild card spots, but their star kept that improbable goal within the orbit. With a full count and two outs in the seventh inning, Bautista drilled a pitch from Neil Ramirez down the left-field line for a double, clearing the previously loaded bases. Bautista added a fourth RBI in the five-run eighth inning. He also drove in three runs on Monday night, via a home run.

With Edwin Encarnacion still obviously hobbled by his right quadriceps injury, and the rest of the offence delivering in fits, the Blue Jays have transformed into the Bautista show to end the year. If some found his questioning of Blue Jays management distasteful, they can have no qualms with his production as the season winds down.

PostMedia

Baseball Player Prince Fielder Poses Nude for ESPN’s 2014 Body ssue

Baseball player Prince Fielder proudly showed off his big body in the 2014 ESPN Body Issue. His pics have been more talked about than Serge Ibaka, Michael Phelps and other athletes who appeared naked in the issue because he's bigger that the usual slim and athletic body types that magazines like to celebrate.

Some people even made fun of him, using his pics as memes but Prince says he's proud of his big body.

Fan caught sleeping in Yankess vs Red Sox game sues announcers $10m

A Yankees fan has filed a $10 million lawsuit against two ESPN announcers contending they mocked him when he was caught on national television sleeping in his seat during a game at Yankee Stadium.

Andrew Robert Rector admits in court documents he "napped" during a game against the Boston Red Sox on April 13, but says commentators Dan Shulman and John Kruk unleashed an "avalanche of disparaging words" against him.

The suit says they used words like "fatty" and "stupid."

Rector says he suffered "substantial injury" to his "character and reputation" and "mental anguish, loss of future income and loss of earning capacity."

The lawsuit filed in Bronx Supreme Court Thursday also names ESPN, Major League Baseball and the Yankees as defendants.

They didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

 

Vanderbilt beats Virginia 3-2 to win College World Series

Dansby Swanson (7) celebrates his first-inning run. / Steven Branscombe, USA TODAY Sports

The moment Vanderbilt fans have dreamed about their entire lives became a reality on Wednesday evening.

For the first time in Vanderbilt men's athletics history, the Commodores are national champions.

Vanderbilt center fielder John Norwood forever etched himself into Commodores lore with the game-winning home run in the top of the eighth inning, turning a 97-mph fastball from first-round pick Nick Howard around and planting it into the bullpen behind left field to break a tie ballgame.

The Commodores finished off the College World Series on Wednesday with a 3-2 win over Virginia in the deciding game of the national championship series.

Major League Baseball All-Star Team

Baseball Player Jamies Winston Faces Ban For Shoplifting

Jameis Winston has been suspended from the FSU baseball team after he was cited Tuesday night for shoplifting crab legs from a Publix grocery store, the school announced Wednesday.

Leon County Sheriff's Office representatives said during a press conference they were dispatched to a Publix grocery store after a person left without paying for $32 worth of crab legs. The food may have also included crawfish. The person was identified as Winston. A deputy went to Winston's residence and reported Winston was cooperative, confirming he left Publix without paying for the food.