Associated Press
The baseball notebook …
DANA POINT, Calif. ó The Dodgers want to keep Manny Ramirez in Los Angeles, and they made an offer that proves just how much.
General manager Ned Colletti said the Dodgers’ pitch to the free-agent slugger would give him the second-highest average salary in the sport behind Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez.
Rodriguez currently has the top average at $27.5 million under the 10-year deal he agreed to before last season. Mets pitcher Johan Santana is second at $22.9 million under the six-season deal he agreed to this year.
Ramirez, acquired from Boston on July 31, is coming off a $160 million, eight-year contract he signed with the Red Sox before the 2001 season.
Ramirez is 36, and the length of the contract could become as issue ó but his agent, Scott Boras, appears to be seeking a lengthy contract.
NL GOLD GLOVE
NEW YORK ó Age is no issue for Greg Maddux when it comes to fielding his position.
The 42-year-old pitcher won his record 18th Gold Glove while outfielder Shane Victorino of the World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies was among five first-time winners in the National League.
Slick shortstop Jimmy Rollins joined Victorino from the Phillies, winning for the second consecutive season. The New York Mets also had two winners: outfielder Carlos Beltran and third baseman David Wright, both of whom repeated.
Other first-time honorees for defensive excellence were St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina, San Diego first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, Cincinnati second baseman Brandon Phillips and Pittsburgh outfielder Nate McLouth.
The Houston Astros, who committed 16 fewer errors than any other major league team, did not have a winner.
Rawlings has presented Gold Gloves annually since 1957. Managers and coaches vote on players in their own leagues before the regular season ends, but they may not select members of their own teams.
AL GOLD GLOVE
NEW YORK ó Carlos Pena grabbed attention for all those balls he hit. Now the Tampa Bay first baseman and his teammates are getting noticed for the ones he caught.
Pena raised the Rays’ profile Thursday when he become the first player in franchise history to win the Gold Glove for fielding excellence.
“I think this is the first of many for the Tampa Bay Rays,” he said on a conference call.
“I feel like we all won the Gold Glove as a team,” he added. “I think we all make each other better.”
The Rays reached the playoffs for the first time since starting play in 1998. They went to the World Series, losing in five games to Philadelphia.
Texas shortstop Michael Young became the first infielder to win a Gold Glove from a team with the worst fielding percentage in the majors. Pena, Young, Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia and Minnesota catcher Joe Mauer were first-time winners.
The outfield was a repeat from last season: Los Angeles’ Torii Hunter and Seattle’s Ichiro Suzuki each won for the eighth straight year and Cleveland’s Grady Sizemore earned his second award.
Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina added to his accolades with his seventh Gold Glove.
YANKEESDANA POINT, Calif. ó Relief pitcher Damaso Marte’s $6 million option was declined Thursday by the New York Yankees, who chose to pay the left-hander a $250,000 buyout.
Marte was obtained with outfielder Xavier Nady from Pittsburgh on July 26 for pitchers Ross Ohlendorf, Jeff Karstens and Daniel McCutchen and outfielder Jose Tabata. Marte was 1-3 with a 5.40 ERA in 25 games with the Yankees and 5-3 with a 4.02 ERA overall.
FENWAYBOSTON ó The Boston Red Sox are wrapping up almost a decade of renovations to Fenway Park that should keep their venerable ballpark open for another 30-50 years.
“We are committed to Fenway Park ó short-term, middle-term, long-term,” team president Larry Lucchino said.
Past years’ renovations have included the Monster Seats above Fenway’s famous left-field wall, new and improved luxury suites and expanded concourses that have given Red Sox fans room to roam. This year’s more modest goals are to waterproof the concrete under the lower deck sections, replace and repair the seats from first to third and add upper deck seats down the first-base line.
While the legal capacity ó including those who work at the ballpark ó will remain 39,928, the net result of the changes will be the addition of about 350 more seats and a sellout crowd of about 37,750 for night games.