Ryu looks to step into rotation

GLENDALE, Arizona (AP) ― Clayton Kershaw is No. 1 and Zack Greinke is No. 2 in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ starting rotation. There are several interesting candidates vying for slot Nos. 3, 4 and 5.Ryu Hyun-jin, Chad Billingsley, Josh Beckett, Ted Lilly, Chris Capuano and Aaron Harang are the six who have begun to throw in batting-practice sessions in the second week of spring training at Camelback Ranch. Dodgers manager Don Mattingly has kept a close eye on Billingsley and Lilly. Both are coming o

Feb. 21, 2013

‘Taiwan, Cuba not to be feared’

DOU LIOU CITY, Taiwan (Yonhap News) ― Cuba and Taiwan, seen as South Korea’s two rivals at the upcoming World Baseball Classic, don’t appear to be as strong as scouts had earlier feared, a former South Korean national team manager said Wednesday.Kim In-sik, who managed South Korea at the first two WBCs in 2006 and 2009, said he has watched Taiwan and Cuba once each in practice games. Kim, currently a technical director for the Korea Baseball Organization, admitted his sample size was small, but

Feb. 20, 2013

Center of attention

GOODYEAR, Arizona (AP) ― Choo Shin-soo has made 10 starts in center field over eight seasons in the majors. He’ll get a chance to win the job during his first spring training with the Cincinnati Reds.If that doesn’t work out, the defending NL Central champions will have to do some rearranging.The Reds traded incumbent center fielder Drew Stubbs to Cleveland for Choo in the offseason, looking for a stronger bat at the top of the lineup. They haven’t had a consistent leadoff hitter for years.They’

Feb. 18, 2013

Choo not about to change style on new club

GOODYEAR, Arizona (Yonhap News) ― Having joined a new team in Major League Baseball during the offseason, South Korean outfielder Choo Shin-soo said he will not change his style of play regardless of his position on the field or in the batting order.Choo was traded from the Cleveland Indians to the Cincinnati Reds in December. The Reds, the reigning National League Central Division champs, acquired the 30-year-old to bolster their offense at the top of the lineup and have him patrol center field

Feb. 17, 2013

High aspirations

GLENDALE, Arizona (Yonhap News) ― Entering his first Major League Baseball season, South Korean pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin of the Los Angeles Dodgers said Tuesday he is confident that he can beat stiff competition to join the team’s starting rotation.The 25-year-old signed a six-year, $36 million contract in December last year, leaving the Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization, his home since 2006. The former MVP of the South Korean league reported to the Dodgers’ spring training at Camelba

Feb. 13, 2013

Could Astros be facing another 100-loss season?

HOUSTON (AP) ― The Houston Astros have a grand total of five players with more than two years of major league experience on the 40-man roster, a first-year manager and a move to the American League to deal with, too.They also have a payroll projected to be the lowest in baseball since the Florida Marlins spent just under $22 million in 2008.So why are they so optimistic they can avoid becoming the first team in a half-century to lose 106 games in three consecutive seasons?General manager Jeff Lu

Feb. 7, 2013

[Photo] Ravens beat 49ers 34-31 in Super Bowl

In a Super Bowl that went from blowout to blackout to shootout, the Baltimore Ravens held on to edge the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 on Sunday in one of the most thrilling NFL deciders ever.A power outage at the Superdome early in the second half stopped America's biggest sporting event for more than half an hour and seemed to rob the Ravens of their momentum, having just established a 22-point lead.After the interruption, the 49ers stormed back, cutting the deficit to just two points but Baltimor

Feb. 4, 2013

Lewis ‘agitated’ with report

NEW ORLEANS (AP) ― Ray Lewis is “agitated.”Not because the Baltimore Ravens linebacker thinks the magazine report linking him to a company that purports to make performance-enhancers will affect his play or that of his teammates against the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl ― the final game of a 17-year NFL career that most assume will earn him a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.Rather, Lewis did not want to spend time discussing the subject in private with his head coach or in public w

Jan. 31, 2013

A-Rod, again

NEW YORK (AP) ― Alex Rodriguez was ensnared in a doping investigation once again Tuesday when an alternative weekly newspaper reported baseball’s highest-paid star was among a half-dozen players listed in records of a Florida clinic the paper said sold performance-enhancing drugs.The Miami New Times said the three-time AL MVP bought human growth hormone and other performance-enhancing substances during 2009-12 from Biogenesis of America LLC, a now-closed anti-aging clinic in Coral Cables, Fla.,

Jan. 30, 2013

Injured pitcher Lim Chang-yong eyes job in 2014

INCHEON (Yonhap News) ― South Korean pitcher Lim Chang-yong, who recently signed with the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball, said Monday he will try to land a full-time big-league job next year.The 36-year-old right-hander left for Arizona to begin rehabbing his surgically repaired right elbow. He signed a two-year split contract last year that could be worth up to $5 million, with different salary rates for the time he spends in the majors and the minors.“I am going to put in a lot of work

Jan. 28, 2013

Five-tool star Park Jae-hong retires

Park Jae-hong, one of the best all-around players in South Korean baseball, announced his retirement on Friday, saying he felt it was “the right time” to leave the game.Park, 39, played 17 seasons in the Korea Baseball Organization for three different clubs. The outfielder spent his final eight years with the SK Wyverns, winning three KBO championships.Park said the Wyverns offered him an opportunity to receive coaching training after last season, but he turned it down so that he could return fo

Jan. 25, 2013

Sosa says he and McGwire belong in Hall

CHICAGO (AP) ― Sammy Sosa says he and fellow steroid-tainted star Mark McGwire belong in the Hall of Fame.Slammin’ Sammy also says the Chicago Cubs should retire his number, and he left open the possibility of running for president of the Dominican Republic during an interview Wednesday on the website Ustream.com.Asked if he thinks he or McGwire belong in the Hall, Sosa said: “I think so.” He also said he won’t say anything that will “jeopardize my future” and that time “will determine everythin

Jan. 24, 2013

Ex-WBC manager Kim sees pitching as key for Korea

A time-worn baseball adage says pitching and defense win championships. Kim In-sik, the former South Korean manager of two World Baseball Classic tournaments, said Wednesday that pitching will be crucial for South Korea at the third WBC scheduled for March 2-19.“Comparing this roster to the national teams of the previous two WBCs, I don’t see much difference in offense and fielding,” Kim said. “I think it will ultimately come down to pitching.” Kim managed South Korea to the semifinals at the in

Jan. 23, 2013

KT grabs bat, glove

KT, South Korea’s largest fixed-line operator and No. 2 mobile carrier, was approved as the owner of a new professional baseball team on Thursday.At their general meeting, owners of the existing nine clubs in the Korea Baseball Organization put their stamp of approval on the expansion plan put together by KT and the city of Suwon, the provincial capital of Gyeonggi, located south of Seoul.It was the last administrative hurdle for KT, which last week drew more favorable reviews for its applicatio

Jan. 17, 2013