Big Mac goes big, big fly as Cards top Brew Cre
Mark McGwire says he doesn't have time to savor his homeruns, even when they break records. "It excites the people, but I have to look at it as one at-bat. I can't sit there and say 'OK, great.' I have to worry about the next at-bat and worry about tomorrow," the St. Louis powerhitter said after hitting the longest home run in the 32-year history of Busch Stadium -- a 527-foot shot -- in the Cardinals' 6-5, 10-inning win over the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday night. Delino DeShields hit an RBI single in the 10th to win the game after Jeff Cirillo's two-run homer in the Brewers ninth tied it at 5. McGwire's three-run homer -- his 14th -- in the fifth broke his own stadium record, set with a 517-foot drive last Sept. 16. The longest home run of his career was measured at 538 feet last June 24 for Oakland. Tony La Russa, the winningest active manager in the majors, got his 1,500th victory.

Rain postponement ends 15-year drought in San Diego
For the first time in 15 years, the San Diego Padres were forced to postpone a home game because of rain Tuesday. The Padres and New York Mets never got a chance to take the field when the game was called after a 1:36 delay, ending a stretch of 1,173 home dates without a rainout. The last rainout in Qualcomm Stadium had been April 20, 1983, against Atlanta. Meanwhile, the Mets continued to be plagued by wet weather. They were postponed out for the third time in four days and a major league-leading eighth time this season. The game was rescheduled as part of an afternoon doubleheader Thursday.

05/12/98
For the record: No lumber on Cubs' Wood
Wood, Griffey Jr. win baseball's weekly awards
Judge allows antitrust investigation back to 1992
Major leaguers to play seven exhibitions in Japan
Milwaukee to honor Aaron, Sutton in June

For the record: No lumber on Cubs' Wood
Randy Johnson couldn't do it. Nolan Ryan couldn't do it, either. But Kerry Wood could. And he made it look easy. The 20-year-old Chicago Cubs rookie set a major league record for strikeouts in
consecutive starts, fanning 13 in a 4-2 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks Monday night. Coming off his record-tying 20-strikeout performance against Houston, Wood needed only seven
innings to reach the mark of 33. Throwing high, 97 mph fastballs and sharp, low-and-away sliders, Wood (4-2) passed the previous total of 32 strikeouts in two games held by Ryan, Johnson, Dwight
Gooden and Luis Tiant. Wood got his 33 strikeouts faster than anyone had ever gotten 32 as he won his third straight game. Tiant needed 19 innings, Ryan needed 17 2/3 and Gooden and Johnson each took 17. Next up for Wood is the record for strikeouts in three straight starts -- Ryan fanned 47 in 1974 and Gooden set the NL mark of 43 in 1984.

Judge allows antitrust investigation back to 1992
Minnesota investigators can probe back only to 1992 to see whether major league baseball violated antitrust laws, a Ramsey County district judge ruled Monday. Judge Margaret Marrinan severely limited the scope of the investigation by Attorney General Hubert Humphrey III, whose office had sought papers going back to 1959. Humphrey is trying to determine whether baseball officials illegally conspired to get public money for ballparks by threatening to move franchises.
    Marrinan said a deliberate and focused investigation is appropriate for now, but didn't rule out expanding the scope. "In the event that a smoking gun is discovered within the more restrictive time period, then further discovery may be allowed," she wrote. Rich Levin, the spokesman for acting commissioner Bud Selig, declined comment. Baseball officials have 30 days to provide the information Humphrey demanded. The order covers all documents related to revenue sharing, potential relocation and sale of major league teams, and the construction and methods for obtaining new ballparks in Minnesota and elsewhere.
    However, the Twins and baseball are appealing Marrinan's original order compelling them to turn over documents. They contend the antitrust exemption given baseball by the U.S. Supreme Court bars the state from bringing any charges. Marrinan denied baseball's request for an expedited appeal.

Major leaguers to play seven exhibitions in Japan
An all-star team of major leaguers will go to Japan for an eight-game exhibition series from Nov. 6-15 in Tokyo, Fukuoka and Osaka. The 28 major leaguers will play seven games against a Japanese all-star team and one game against the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants. Each major leaguer on the tour will receive $85,000. The series will open with the game against the Giants at the Tokyo Dome on Nov. 6. The all-star teams will play in the Tokyo Dome the following two days, and the series will resume at the Fukuoka Dome on Nov. 10. There will be games at the Osaka Dome on Nov. 11-12, and the series will conclude at the Tokyo Dome on Nov. 14-15. The DH will be used for all games, and players will wear the uniforms of their regular-season teams. Each game will end after nine innings, even if tied.

Milwaukee to honor Aaron, Sutton in June
Hank Aaron and Don Sutton will take part in pregame ceremonies when the Braves visit Milwaukee County Stadium next month for the first time since bolting to Atlanta after the 1965 season. Sutton will throw out the first pitch June 1 before the Braves play the Brewers, who this season became the first major league team to move from the American League to the National League. Aaron, who threw out the first pitch before the Brewers' home opener against Montreal last month, will throw out the first pitch June 2.
    Sutton will be honored for his induction into the Hall of Fame this year. He came to Milwaukee in August 1982 and helped the Brewers reach the World Series, where they lost in seven games to
the St. Louis Cardinals. Aaron began his career in Milwaukee in 1954 and ended it in a Brewers uniform in 1976. Of his 23 years in the major leagues, Aaron played 13 of them in Milwaukee,
hitting 420 of his record 755 homers.

05/11/98
Bosox send Garciaparra home with strained shoulder
Twins rookie Ortiz expected to be out eight weeks
Looking for third baseman, Pirates' Bonifay may seek trade
Former Giant Noble dies
'Cal Ripken of Mexico' finally grounded

Bosox send Garciaparra home with strained shoulder
Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra was sent back to Boston Sunday for further examination by a team physician. The 1997 American League Rookie of the Year hurt his right shoulder Friday night while diving for a ground single by Kansas City's Shane Halter. At the time, the Red Sox said Garciaparra strained his right shoulder. Garciaparra is hitting .299 with five homers and 27 RBIs.

Twins rookie Ortiz expected to be out eight weeks
Minnesota Twins rookie first baseman David Ortiz is expected to be out eight weeks after breaking his right wrist Saturday night. Ortiz, 22, fractured the right hook of the hamate bone in his right wrist in Saturday night's win over the New York Yankees. Ortiz, who throws left-handed, will have surgery this week. "I first hurt it against Tampa Bay (April 30), and then on my last at-bat I broke the bone," he said. "It's going to be hard because it's never happened to me before." Ortiz is hitting .306 with four homers and 20 RBIs. His slugging percentage of .531 is best among American League rookies.

Looking for third baseman, Pirates' Bonifay may seek trade
Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Cam Bonifay, looking for a third baseman and more power, said Sunday he has discussed possible trades with a number of general managers. The Pirates apparently are looking at outfielder Ron Gant and infielder John Mabry of St. Louis and Joe Randa, their third baseman last season who now plays for Detroit. Teams have asked about right-handers Esteban Loaiza (1-1, 5.94 ERA) and Jon Lieber (1-4, 5.02 ERA) and left fielder Al Martin, who is signed through 2001 at below-market value. Gant and Mabry would give the Pirates significantly more power but also a higher payroll, even if St. Louis pays a large portion of the remaining $18 million on Gant's contract. The Pirates' $13 million payroll is the second lowest in the majors, trailing only Montreal.
    Randa won't hit for power, but was popular in the Pirates' clubhouse and would temporarily fill a big hole at third, currently manned by utilityman Doug Strange and rookie Chance Sanford. "I'm trying to obtain a piece of the puzzle that would make us even better," Bonifay said. "But I don't like to put any other general manager or myself in a situation where it affects the ballclub by talking about potential trades in the press." Manager Gene Lamont has improvised at third since first-year starter Freddy Garcia was sent to the minors amid a 1-for-22 slump. Strange struck out in all four at-bats in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Reds and is hitting .211. Sanford has a .143 average. The Pirates hope 19-year-old Aramis Ramirez will be ready for the majors as early as next season, but he is off to a slow start at Triple-A Nashville and has yet to homer.

Former Giant Noble Dies
Ray Noble, a utility player with the New York Giants in the 1950s, has died at the age of 79. A wake for Noble, who died Saturday, will be held at the Ponce Funeral Home in New York
prior to his funeral on Tuesday. Cause of death was not revealed. Born Miguel Rafael Noble in Central Hatillo, Cuba, Noble spent parts of three seasons with the Giants as a catcher and outfielder from 1951-53. He was on the Giant team that beat Brooklyn in a dramatic three-game playoff for the pennant in 1951 and appeared in the World Series that year. In three seasons with the Giants, Noble hit .218 in 107 games with nine home runs and 40 RBI. He also played for the Havana Sugar Kings in the old Negro League. Noble is survived by his wife, Haydee; a son, Ernesto, two grandchildren, Rafael and Raymond, and a daughter-in-law, Millie.

'Cal Ripken of Mexico' finally grounded
Grounded by a closed airport, the "Cal Ripken of Mexico" saw his iron-man streak end.    Infielder-outfielder Gerardo Sanchez didn't make it to the game on time Friday bringing to an end his
streak of consecutive games played at 1,415, the Laredo (Texas) Times reported. The streak stopped after his team, the Laredo Owls, played Thursday in Tabasco, Mexico. While the rest of the team left by bus for games in Laredo and bordering Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, Sanchez and four others chose to fly in the following morning. But Villahermosa Airport in Tabasco was shut down due to visibility problems caused by smoke from nearby forest fires. Sanchez set the Mexican League record on April 21, 1996, breaking the mark of 1,167 games. On Sunday, Ripken played in his 2,513th straight game, extending his own major league record.