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Baseball News ~ Hot off the Press
- The Baseball Season kicks off to a great start!
- The Braves trade Mark Wohlers to the Cincinnati Reds for John Hudek and at least $4.1 million dollars.
- Boston Red Sox star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra returned to the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays after suffering from a strained left hamstring.
- Darryl Strawberry was well on his wayback to the major leagues after treatments for colon cancer. But then Darryl Strawberry was arrested on charges of possession of cocaine and
soliciting a prostitute on April 14.
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Official MBL Calendar
Shortened, b/c of space on the page
April 4 - Official opening of the 1999 championship season.
May 3 - Waivers secured on/after November 11th expire 5:00 p.m. EDT
June 2, 3, 4 - First-Year Player Draft
July 11, 12, 13 - Baseball Festival in London, England
July 25 - Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. (Cooperstown, NY)
November 3 - Official close of the 1999 championship season
December 20 - Last date to tender contracts
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Team's Official Webpages
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Toronto Blue Jays
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Remembering their Beginnings In Baseball
*Mark McGwire, first base, St. Louis Cardinals*
"I think one of the most important things for young players to learn is to develop their own style. It's also important to not let anyone tell you that you're not good enough."
*Ken Griffey Jr., outfield, Seattle Mariners*
"I like to have fun and baseball was always fun for me. I became interested in baseball because I grew up around it. I just naturally kept going with it, that's how I ended up becoming a Major Leaguer."
*Ken Griffey Jr., outfield, Seattle Mariners*
"I like to have fun and baseball was always fun for me. I became interested in baseball because I grew up around it. I just naturally kept going with it, that's how I ended up becoming a Major Leaguer."
*Roberto Kelly, outfield, Texas Rangers*
"Carew's style of aggressive play and the way he approached the game every day made me admire him. Everyone loved to see him hit and when I was a kid, I wanted to grow up and be just like him."
*John Franco, pitcher, New York Mets*
"My favorite part of Little League was just to play every day and roll around in the dirt. There's nothing like being on a ballfield."
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Breakin' In a Glove
*Travis Fryman, Cleveland Indians*
Every Major League player agrees that the glove he's wearing has to feel as natural as possible, as though it's a part of his own hand. Adding anything heavy to a glove to help loosen it up can actually weigh it down and make it uncomfortable to play with. "I usually just take my gloves and play with them," Travis Fryman of the Indians says, "but to help soften them up I'll also use shaving cream or something like that to condition the leather. Shaving cream makes the leather soft without adding extra weight to it."
*Darin Erstad, Anaheim Angels*
"I just play catch with mine," says Darin Erstad, the first baseman for the Angels. "Depending on the glove, it usually takes a couple of weeks. I put a little oil in there and some shaving cream and play a lot of catch to soften up the leather a little bit. But not too much shaving cream because that ends up making it too soft."
*Carlos Delgado, Toronto Blue Jays*
"I just try to get out there, put my hand in as far I can and just start catching balls and playing with it," says Blue Jays first baseman Carlos Delgado. "Some guys use shaving cream or soak it in water, but I just take my glove out there and start using it as much as I can and try to get a good feel for it."
*Tim Salmon, Anaheim Angels*
"To break in a new glove, I submerge it in water until it's completely wet, then put a couple of baseballs in and fold it the way I want it to fold, wrap it with socks or a belt, and hang it from a shower curtain to dry. It takes me at least a year - the glove that you see me using in a game is the glove that I started breaking in the year before."
*Damion Easley, Detroit Tigers*
Keeping a glove with you at all times is one way to make sure that you're always ready to play. But for Detroit Tigers second baseman Damion Easley, sleeping with his glove is exactly how he keeps the glove in playing shape. "I used to put Vaseline on my glove to soften it up, then I'd put a softball in it and tie a belt around it so it feels the way I want it to and then I'd sleep on it," Easley says. "Then I'd make sure to play with it the next day to break it in."
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