Derrek Lee is now an Atlanta Brave after the Chicago Cubs agreed to trade the first baseman to the Braves for three pitching prospects on Wednesday evening. Lee, as we mentioned yesterday, is currently dealing with a bulging disk on his lower left side, and he received an epidural to alleviate the pain on Monday. He is expected to be ready to play this weekend, coincidentally enough, against his now former team, the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs meanwhile, get three pitchers: 19-year-old right-hander Robinson Lopez, 23-year-old right-hander Tyrelle Harris, and 22-year-old lefty Jeffrey Lorick. Lopez and Lorick were both playing at Class A Rome, while Harris has pitched at three levels this season, most recently for Double-A Mississippi. In the deal, Atlanta also received cash considerations to help cover the nearly $3.3 million that Lee is still owed this season. With Chipper Jones out for the season, and Troy Glaus currently on the disabled list, Derrek Lee's acquisition is huge for the Braves to be able to hang on to the NL East division lead down the stretch. According to Braves officials, the plan is for All-Star second baseman Martin Prado, who just returned from the DL, to fill in at third base, until Troy Glaus rests his legs for a week, and then gets some work in at third base at Triple-A Gwinett. The 34-year-old Glaus was putting up some solid numbers early in the season, but the last couple of months have taken a toll on his body, which is why the Braves are giving him some rest. Glaus also jammed his legs in a victory over the Dodgers on Monday night, resulting in him being placed on the DL. Lee, meanwhile, will bring his .251 batting average to the Braves in hopes of adding a much needed offensive boost, and restoring his numbers closer to his career batting average of .282, or his .306 batting average from last season.
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Well, Braves fans, brace yourself, Chipper Jones, is now done for the season. The third basemen tore his ACL in his left knee on Tuesday night, and now needs season-ending surgery. Chipper's agent, BB Abbott did offer a glimmer of hope to Atlanta fans, saying Jones might seek a second opinion before having surgery that would end his season. But the Braves said they had received the results of an MRI exam showing the ACL was torn, and while no time-frame was set for surgery, the surgery is expected to take place in the near future and will require about six months of recovery time. The torn ACL is on the same knee that Jones had surgically repaired in 1994, prompting many to wonder if this could be the end of the road for Chipper. He has stated before that he would consider retirement at the end of the year, but the 38-year-old was putting together a productive season before the injury, batting .265 with 10 home runs and 46 RBIs. Jones injured the knee Tuesday in Houston in the sixth inning, when he fielded a grounder from the Astros' Hunter Pence and jumped in the air as he threw to first. He then fell to the ground, where he remained for several minutes before walking off gingerly on his own power. Jones said after the game that he heard a pop and had significant pain in his knee.
Alex Rodriguez has finally joined the 600 club, hitting his 600th home run today against the Toronto Blue Jays. In the first inning of the New York Yankees matinee game against the Blue Jays, in front of the home fans at Yankee Stadium, A-rod became the seventh member of the 600 home run club, joining the likes of Sammy Sosa, Ken Griffey Jr., Willie Mays, Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, and Barry Bonds. Rodriguez now becomes the youngest player ever to reach 600 home runs at 35 years and eight days, and the third fastest in terms of at-bats with 8,688 at-bats. The two-run bomb against Shawn Marcum was to straight away center, and unfortunately for fans, no one was able to catch it. It ends a homer-less drought of nearly two weeks, having hit homer number 599 on July 22nd. It also marks the three-year anniversary of A-rod's 500th home run, to-the-day. Hate him, love him, don't care about him, it's still a great feat, even in the steroid era, and even with his admission of using performance enhancing drugs. So, congratulations Alex Rodriguez on hitting your 600th home run.
It was a sad day for all of baseball after the news that George Steinbrenner, the owner of the New York Yankees, died of a massive heart attack this morning. Love him or hate him, Steinbrenner was one of the most visible and most successful owners in all of sports. He was known as a no non-sense, win now type of owner that came across very abrasive and confident. The colorful owner was best known for taking a once proud franchise that had fallen, back into a perennial winner. After buying the Yankees from CBS in 1973 for $10 million, Steinbrenner restored the franchise to its former glory. Under Steinbrenner's reign, the New York Yankees won 11 American League pennants and seven championships, more than any other team in that span. The franchise's value also skyrocketed into the billions as it became the staple product of its own cable network while still leading the big leagues in attendance year after year. During his first 20 years with the Yankees, Steinbrenner hired and fired 21 managers, including Billy Martin five times. He also was suspended indefinitely twice by MLB for illegally aiding Richard Nixon's campaign and trying to dig up dirt on one of his own players in Dave Winfield. Either way, through the Bronx Zoo of the '70's and '80's, the fired and re-hired managers, and the suspensions, The Boss will best be remembered for his tough attitude and his eagerness and relentlessness to win.
Well, if you didn't hear, Lebron James has made his decision. The "king" announced on a one-hour special that he will join stars and fellow USA basketball teammates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. James was the last marquee and arguably the biggest name to sign. In signing with the Heat, Miami can now boast three all-stars, but not much of a supporting cast. The only official member of the Miami Heat currently is Mario Chalmers. Bosh, Wade, and James are all suppose to iron out their contracts soon and are expected to sign five-year deals to stay in Miami. In the wake of the signings, Miami shipped forward Michael Beasley to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a second-round draft pick in 2011 and a swap of future first-round picks to make room for the "Big 3's" salaries. After the news broke that Lebron was bolting for South Beach, Cleveland Cavaliers Owner Dan Gilbert was less than pleased to say the least, saying Lebron would carry Cleveland's sports curse with him wherever he went and promising that Cleveland would win a championship before his "highness" won one. Needless to say, there are plenty divided on whether Lebron made the right decision or not, but what can be said is that three all-stars that won the gold medal with the USA basketball team in the 2008 Summer Olympics, are all on one team, and everyone will want to keep tabs on how the three play together and if they can mesh together and win a championship, or if the egos get in the way and cause the signings to backfire for everyone involved. Should be interesting.
