Pirates term with Taschner to Minors deal

According to ESPN.com, the Pirates signed reliever Jack Taschner to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Spring Training on Wednesday. If he makes the Pirates' Opening Day roster, Taschner will earn $835,000, plus $465,000 in incentives based on appearances.

Taschner made 24 relief appearances for the Phillies this past season, posting a 4.91 ERA while striking out 19 batters and walking 20 in 29 1/3 innings in the phillies jersey. The left-hander also pitched in 20 games for Triple-A Lehigh Valley and posted a 2.08 ERA in 21 2/3 frames. Originally a second-round Draft pick by the Giants in 1999, Taschner spent his first four seasons in San Francisco.

Former Astros scout dies at 95

It is announced that Stan Benjamin, a former scout for the Houston Astros, passed away last Thursday at the age of 95.
Benjamin joined the Astros in 1965 and worked in the organization for nearly 40 years as a scout at the amateur and professional levels. His duties included serving as a Major League scout covering the American League East clubs for several seasons. He also served as Houston's amateur scouting supervisor for the Northeast section of the country.

"Stan was a vital cog in the Astros organization," said Astros president of baseball operations Tal Smith. "He was a keen judge of talent and had great personal associations throughout the game as a result of his long career as a player, high school coach, college basketball official and scout," Smith added. "All of us who knew Stan will have great memories of him."

Red Sox hold "conditional club option" for Lackey

According to The Boston Globe, It is said that behind John Lackey's recently signed five-year contract, the Red Sox hold a "conditional club option" at the minimum salary for the 2015 season to protect themselves in case the pitcher gets hurt. The conditional option would force Lackey to play for the Major League $400,000, if an old elbow injury forced him to miss "significant time" with surgery during the deal.

The right-hander missed time on the disabled list because of an elbow injury while with the Angels during the past two seasons. From 2003-07, Lackey made 33 starts each season. In his eight-year career he has thrown 200-plus innings. Well it seems that the red sox jersey is more "expensive" than other team jerseys.

Nationals sign veteran southpaw Guardado to Minors deal

The Nationals announced that they have agreed to terms with reliever Eddie Guardado on a Minor League deal with an invite to big league Spring Training. The club have been interested in Guardado since the Winter Meetings. According to a baseball source, team scouts told general manager Mike Rizzo that Guardado would be a big help to the club. During his 17 seasons in the big leagues, he has played in 908 games and saved 187 of them in his mlb jersey. He is best known for his years as the Twins' closer. His best season was in 2002, when he saved 45 games.

Guardado is one of three relievers acquired by the Nationals this offseason. The club traded for right-hander Brian Bruney on Dec. 7 and agreed to term with former Pirates closer Matt Capps on Christmas Eve.

Kings activate Ryan Smyth from reserve list

The Los Angeles Kings have activated forward Ryan Smyth from the injured IR on Friday and sent four players, forwards Corey Elkins, Oscar Moller and Scott Parse and defenseman Alec Martinez to their AHL team, the Manchester Monarchs.
Smyth had 9 goals and 14 assists for 23 points in 22 games in his los angeles kings jersey before going down with an upper body injury during the game against the Florida Panthers on Nov. 16. He has missed the Kings' last 15 games. Hecame to the Kings from Colorado on July 3 in exchange for defensemen Kyle Quincey and Tom Preissing and a fifth-round pick in the 2010 Entry Draft.

Elkins made his NHL debut this week and played in two games with the Kings, scoring his first NHL goal in Calgary.

Padres CEO has nothing to say about Gonzalez

Moorad, in an interview on the Padres' flagship radio station said that he doesn't believe general manager Jed Hoyer has spoken with Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein since the Winter Meetings concluded in Indianapolis last week. He also didn't think Hoyer and Epstein discussed Gonzalez.

Gonzalez has been the subject of trade speculation since the end of the regular season. Hoyer was an assistant general manager to Epstein in Boston before joining the Padres in October in trade discussions for the two-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove Award winner. Moorad said "If it's something that would dramatically improve our ballclub, we'd be silly not to listen. Does that mean other teams don't ask about him? Of course not. We're going to listen." "Jed has money to spend, not a lot, but money to spend," Moorad said. Well can Gonzalez put on the padres jersey successfully?

Nationlas GM attends Aroldis Chapman's workout

According to a baseball source, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo went to Houston to watch left-hander Aroldis Chapman work out. According to Gene Duffey, Chapman had a bullpen session in the morning and impressed scouts with his velocity.

Chapman became a free agent after he defected from the Cuban National Team on July 3. Whether the Nationals can sign Chapman or not remains to be seen. Rizzo said early this month that the Nationals maybe would not break the bank when it came to signing free agents.

Tim Maxey spent seven seasons with Indians

Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association announced that Tim Maxey was named Major League Baseball's Joint Strength and Conditioning Coordinator. Maxey will focus on providing guidance to and identifying best practices for clubs and players involving conditioning, fitness, nutrition and other related subjects in this newly created position. Maxey has plenty of experience in the field and he just completed his seventh season as the strength and conditioning coach for the Indians in 2009, and he also worked in the Royals organization from 1998 to 2002.

Maxey visit with every team during Spring Training to discuss practices and conditioning. He will also be available to all Major League clubs during the season for all areas relating to strength and conditioning, including the development of educational programs. He also has served MLB and the MLBPA on its Strength and Conditioning Advisory Board and has been an advisor to the Taylor Hooton Foundation.

Maxey is a National and Conditioning Association-Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and a Registered Strength and Conditioning Coach. He is a graduate of Shawnee State University and holds a Master's Degree in physical education from The Ohio State University.

Flyers term with veteran Grahame

According to the Philadelphia Daily News, Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren confirmed that goalie John Grahame has signed a professional contract with the American Hockey League affiliate in Adirondack. Grahame spent five seasons in the NHL from 2001 through 2008 with the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes. He recently played 20 games in the Kontinental Hockey League for Avangard Omsk during the 2008-09 season.

Holmgren has not revealed his plans for Grahame but he actually need an experienced goalie, when starting Flyers goalie Ray Emery underwent abdominal surgery. The club is currently relying on veteran Brian Boucher, who has started the last four games, and rookie Johan Backlund, who has made an appearance in the flyers jersey this season.

Statement regarding Ducks Henry and Susan Samueli

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman issued the following statement on Dec.9: "On December 9, 2009, U.S. District Court Judge Cormac J. Carney vacated the single charge that was pending against Dr. Henry Samueli, indicating that no law had been violated. We are delighted that the Samueli good name has now been cleared. In retrospect, it is regrettable and unfortunate that the circumstances at that time caused the Samuelis and the Anaheim Ducks to endure any suspension. We were pleased to welcome the Samuelis back to the NHL when the suspension was lifted this past November 12."

This statement comes after U.S. District Court proceedings this week in California, where Judge Carney stated that Henry Samueli had not made a materially false statement during his testimony before the SEC.

Capitals assigned Nylander to AHL

Caps General Manager George McPhee announced last weekend that the Washington Capitals have sent center Michael Nylander to the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League.

Nylander has played 920 career NHL games for the Capitals, New York Rangers, Boston, Chicago, Tampa Bay, Calgary and Hartford. He has not played an NHL game in the nhl jersey this season.

Reds sign Burke to Minor League deal

Although the Reds may not have made any major moves during the Winter Meetings in Indianapolis, they did sign Chris Burke to a Minor League deal, general manager Walt Jocketty said last week. Burke, who is a former first-round pick by the Astros in the 2001 First-Year Player Draft, played in 32 games for the Padres in 2009 and also played in the Mariners' and Braves' Triple-A affiliates. In 83 Minor League games, the right-handed hitter .279 with four homers and 15 stolen bases.

In six seasons in the Majors, he has also played center field, shortstop, right field, first base and third base in his mlb jersey. "I think we see him as a potential candidate for the utility role on the Major League club, and if nothing else, he'll play at Triple-A Louisville," Jocketty said. "He's from Louisville, it's his hometown, and he's very excited about the possibility to play for either club. He's an experienced guy that might be able to help us."

Mets ink Dessens to Minors deal

The Associated Press reported that reliever Elmer Dessens will remain with the Mets since the right-hander agreed to a Minor League contract last week. This contract will pay him $700,000 if he is in the Majors and $90,000 if he is in the Minors3. He can also earn $150,000 in bonuses.

The veteran made 28 relief appearances with the Mets last season, posting a 3.31 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings in his mets jersey. In his career, Dessens has played with the Pirates, Reds, D-backs, Dodgers, Royals, Brewers, Rockies, Braves and Mets.

Indians sign Reyes and Miller to Minors deals

The Indians signed both pitchers Reyes and Miller to Minor League contracts on Sunday. And Reyes was given an invite to Major League Spring Training camp, though he will be in rehab mode after having reconstructive right elbow surgery in June. Reyes will not be ready to pitch in the Majors until midseason. If he can recover, he could be a rotation option for the Indians.

Reyes showed up in 67 career appearances in the big leagues with the Indians and Cardinals, including 52 starts. He was the winning pitcher in Game 1 of the 2006 World Series between the Cardinals and Tigers. Miller will be in Minor League camp rehabbing from the surgery on his right middle finger in the past two years. Hope to see them playing in the indians jerseys.

Flyers' Emery will have surgery

The Philadelphia Flyers announced that goaltender Ray Emery will undergo surgery to repair a torn muscle in his lower abdomen and he is expected to miss six weeks. Dr. William Meyers, from Hahnemann University Hospital will perform the surgery.

Emery has made 21 appearances with the team in his flyers jersey this season. Johan Backlund has been called up from the AHL's Adirondack Phantoms.

Witt feels good after car accident

According to a report, New York Islanders defenseman Brendan Witt was struck by a car in Philadelphia on Tuesday morning and was not injured. At that time Witt was crossing Arch Street when a car made an illegal turn and struck the defenseman. According to the report, Witt told passersby he was all right and continued on his way.

"I'm OK," Witt said, according to Newsday. "I've got to go play some hockey. I'm a hockey player. I'm OK. No big deal."
"I just got lucky," Witt said. "Fortunately nothing bad happened. I'm just a little sore." He didn't file an accident report and was now at the team's morning skate at the Wachovia Center. It seems that he can continue playing on the ice in his islanders jersey.

Milan Lucic will appear on NHL Live

It is reported that Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic will be among the guests on NHL Live! scheduled from noon to 2 p.m. on NHL Network and NHL.com and broadcast on XM Radio.

Lucic will appear in-studio at the NHL Store Powered By Reebok in Manhattan to speak with hosts Deb Placey and E.J. Hradek. Lucic is 2-3-5 in 10 games for the Bruins this season in his boston bruins jersey and enjoyed a 17-goal campaign in 2008-09. Monday's show also includes New York Islanders coach Scott Gordon and TSN analyst Bob McKenzie.

Flyers' Emery will have surgery

The Philadelphia Flyers announced that goaltender Ray Emery will undergo surgery to repair a torn muscle in his lower abdomen and he is expected to miss six weeks. Dr. William Meyers, from Hahnemann University Hospital will perform the surgery.

Emery has made 21 appearances with the team in his flyers jersey this season. Johan Backlund has been called up from the AHL's Adirondack Phantoms.

Royals signs Steve Lerud

It is reported that the Royals signed catcher Steve Lerud to a Minor League contract last week. Lerud has been in the Pirates since being taken in the fourth round of the 2003 First-Year Player Draft. In six Minor League seasons, he has a .228 average with 42 home runs and 224 RBIs in 519 games.

Last season with Double-A Altoona, Lerud batted .240 with four homers and 26 RBIs in 95 games. He threw out 37 base-stealers with 15 passed balls and six errors. He is the second catcher from outside the organization signed by the Royals. The Royals also have signed catchers Vance Wilson and Cody Clark to Minor League deals. Hope to see him playing on the field in the royals jersey.

Matinez desires to pitch in 2010

Now Pedro Martinez keeps his mind on pitching in 2010. Playing in former Red Sox teammate David Ortiz's charity golf tournament in Cap Cana last week, the right-hander made it clear his experience with the Phillies was a good one through the World Series. Martinez told the Associated Press that the Phillies treated him very well and they were very professional.

Martinez went 5-1 with a 3.63 ERA with the team with his phillies jersey and made three starts in the playoffs, including the Game 6 loss the Yankees. Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. told Martinez after the World Series that the Phillies have not closed the door on his return in 2010, but are focusing their efforts elsewhere. "More specifically, our need at third base and in our bullpen," Amaro said. "Those two areas are our priorities."

Martinez expressed his desire to pitch for the Licey Tigers in the Dominican Winter League in the interview with the AP. When he was unsigned by a Major League club last spring, Martinez pitched for the Dominican team in the World Baseball Classic. Martinez's agent Fernando Cuza said that Martinez intends to pitch the entire 2010 season after signing with the Phillies in July.

Avalanche Jones will lose several months' playing

Colorado Avalanche forward David Jones is going to miss the next 4 or 6 months after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in Saturday's game with the Minnesota Wild.

Jones was hurt later in the third period when he collided with Minnesota forward Chuck Kobasew, who fell on his leg.
Avalanche was already playing without forwards Milan Hejduk and T.J. Galiardi. "I think that when you have those injuries, it's an opportunity for other players," Avalanche coach Joe Sacco said. "It gives them a chance to be put in different situations and see how they respond." Hope he can return to his team in his avalanche jersey 6 months later.

Gustavsson sees medical specialists

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Jonas Gustavsson was examined by cardiac specialists in Toronto after leaving Tuesday's game against the Montreal Canadiens, playing only one period of the game. Gustavsson has had heart problems this season. He underwent heart surgery to repair a problem that caused an abnormal heart rhythm.

"I'm not going to be responsible for someone keeling over during a game," said Wilson after the Leafs' triumph. "The game's not that important." General Manager Brian Burke said Gustavsson did not need to spend the night in a hospital after Tuesday's incident.