Ken Griffey Jr. is leaving home to get back in a pennant race. The Chicago White Sox acquired Griffey from the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday, hoping the 38-year-old outfielder has enough left to help them hold onto their slim lead in the AL Central. The Reds sent Griffey and cash to Chicago for reliever Nick Masset and Triple-A second baseman Danny Richar.
The Florida Marlins bolstered their bullpen Thursday by acquiring left-hander Arthur Rhodes from the Seattle Mariners for minor league right-hander Gaby Hernandez. Florida, in the thick of the NL East and wild-card races, made the deal a few hours before baseball’s 4 p.m. EDT trade deadline. The 38-year-old Rhodes is 2-1 with a 2.86 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 22 innings.
A potential deal that would send disgruntled slugger Manny Ramirez from the Boston Red Sox to the Florida Marlins appeared to fizzle as Thursday’s trade deadline approached. Talks with the Marlins were barely alive, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press an hour before the 4 p.m.
Still locked in a standoff with Brett Favre and facing the potential for a major disruption in training camp, the Green Bay Packers apparently are considering trading the three-time MVP to a division rival. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Thursday that Packers officials have had internal discussions about trading Favre to the Minnesota Vikings or Chicago Bears as a “last resort” to resolve…
Any team with Kobe Bryant and LeBron James in the lineup is going to score. Sure enough, the United States had no problem doing so in the first quarter Thursday — but neither did Turkey. The Americans didn’t pull away until their offensive superstars decided to be defensive stoppers. James scored 20 points and was a defensive force in his exhibition debut, helping the U.S.
Fausto Carmona won for the first time since May 12 and Grady Sizemore had four RBIs, leading the Cleveland Indians to a 9-4 win over the Detroit Tigers on Thursday. Carmona (5-3) made his second start after spending two months on the disabled list with a hip injury. He bounced back with a strong outing after being rocked for nine runs in just 2 1-3 innings when he rejoined the rotation last week.
Alex Rodriguez agrees with his wife that their marriage is over, but he says her allegations of extramarital affairs aren’t relevant to the divorce. The New York Yankees’ All-Star third baseman said Thursday in court papers that his five-year-old marriage to Cynthia Rodriguez is “irretrievably broken.” But because Florida is a no-fault divorce state, Rodriguez contends that his wife’s claims of…
Juli Inkster had the sort of opening round Annika Sorenstam was hoping for at the Women’s British Open, a bogey-free 7-under 65 that left the 48-year-old American one shot ahead of the field. While Sorenstam struggled to a 72 in what the Swede says is her final major before she quits tournament golf at the end of the season to start a family, Inkster went out among the earliest in the field to…
Hall of Fame coach Scotty Bowman is joining the Chicago Blackhawks as a senior adviser for hockey operations. Bowman has won nine Stanley Cup championships as a coach. He’s to be introduced at news conference Thursday at the United Center. The 74-year-old Bowman has been a special consultant with the Detroit Red Wings, a team he coached to three Stanley Cup titles.
Marcos Baghdatis, the 2006 Australian Open finalist, was ruled out of the Beijing Olympics on Thursday because of a right wrist injury. Baghdatis will be out of action for at least four weeks and miss the U.S. Open, the Cyprus Tennis Federation said in a statement on its Web site. Baghdatis’ wrist is in a splint.