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To: SiouxPal who wrote (72301)	7/19/2008 6:19:02 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 104155

Rays try to maintain top spot in AL East in middle tilt with Jays ______________________________________________________________ (Sports Network) - With their longest losing streak of the season now behind them, the Tampa Bay Rays will now try to maintain their narrow lead in the AL East, as they play the second of three consecutive meetings against the Toronto Blue Jays at Tropicana Field. On Friday, Ben Zobrist clubbed the go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning, and Tampa Bay snapped a season-long seven-game skid with a 2-1 victory. The Rays (56-39), who have been a huge surprise this season, moved back into first place in the AL East, a half-game ahead of Boston, which lost to the LA Angels of Anaheim. Tampa also improved to a stellar 37-14 as the hosts and have won 16 of its last 20 at Tropicana Field. James Shields (8-6) allowed four hits over seven innings to win for the fourth time in five starts. J.P. Howell threw two-thirds of an inning before Grant Balfour escaped a jam in the eighth and struck out three batters, nailing down his fourth save of the year. Shields is 6-1 at home this year and 4-0 lifetime against the Blue Jays.. A.J. Burnett (10-9) pitched well in defeat, giving up five hits, to go with three walks and six strikeouts in seven innings. Adam Lind homered for Toronto, which has dropped five of its last six outings on the road. The Blue Jays will try to reverse their fortunes this evening, as they send ace Roy Halladay to the hill. The former Cy Young Award winner has won three consecutive starts, posting a 0.72 ERA over that stretch. He is 7-1 with a 2.06 ERA over his last 10 starts and that includes three complete games. In his last start on July 11th, Halladay tossed a two-hit shutout against the New York Yankees, as he fanned eight and walked just one in picking up his major league-leading seventh complete game of the year. The right-hander has made 24 career appearances, 21 starts, against the Rays, recording a 9-5 mark with four complete games and a 3.76 ERA. Earlier this season, Halladay allowed five earned runs in eight innings of a 5-3 setback to the Rays on April 23rd. Getting the call for Tampa Bay will Matt Garza, who is coming off a dismal outing against the Cleveland Indians on July 12th. In that game, the right- hander was tagged for seven earned runs and 11 hits over five innings of an 8-4 loss. He had been 3-1 with a 2.02 ERA in five prior starts. Garza has been especially tough at home this season, notching a 5-1 record with a sparkling 2.38 ERA in nine starts at Tropicana Field. He is 0-2 with a 7.71 ERA in two career starts against Toronto, but he did fare well in his only appearance against them this season. On May 7th, Garza allowed just one earned run over 6 2/3 innings of work, but suffered the defeat in a 6-2 setback at Toronto. This series is the Blue Jays' first visit to Tropicana Field this season. The AL East foes did play a three-game series in Orlando back in April, with the Rays sweeping the set. Tampa Bay also took two of three tests from the Jays in Toronto from May 6-8. 07/19 10:35:26 ET

To: SiouxPal who wrote (72301)	7/22/2008 7:23:56 AM
From: stockman_scott	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 104155

Alex Rodriguez Joins William Morris to Boost Image (Update1) By Erik Matuszewski July 22 (Bloomberg) -- Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees is banking on the William Morris Agency LLC to improve his image and boost sponsorship income from companies that are concerned about his off-field profile. The three-time Most Valuable Player's Yankees contract is worth a record $275 million over 10 years, dwarfing the $6 million Sports Illustrated projects he'll pick up in endorsements this year. Tiger Woods will earn $105 million from sponsors in 2008, the magazine said. William Morris is taking on a 32-year-old who generated headlines this month when his wife Cynthia filed for divorce after six years. She alleged that Rodriguez frequented strip clubs and was having an affair with singer Madonna, something the baseball player and singer have denied. ``A-Rod needs a steady hand to manage all aspects of how he is positioned within and beyond baseball,'' said David Carter, executive director of the Sports Business Institute at the University of Southern California. ``William Morris delivers that steadiness, as well as a deep set of relationships with corporate America.'' Of the 50 highest-paid American athletes on the Sports Illustrated list, Rodriguez, who ranks seventh overall, is 20th by endorsement income. Basketball player LeBron James, racecar driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. all make more than $20 million, Sports Illustrated said. Gable and Monroe Rodriquez endorses PepsiCo Inc., Nike Inc., Oasys Mobile Inc., a closely held software maker for mobile phones, Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. and the Topps Company Inc., which makes baseball cards, according to his Web site. Specifics of the affiliation weren't disclosed by the player or the Los Angeles-based talent and literary agency, which dates back to 1898 and has represented screen actors such as Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe. ``Partnering with William Morris will enable me to broaden the scope of my career in creative and innovative ways,'' Rodriguez said yesterday in a statement. ``I'm excited to see what we'll be able to accomplish together, both domestically and abroad.'' Other William Morris clients include National Basketball Association players Dwyane Wade and Kevin Garnett, National Football League quarterback Vince Young, racecar driver Juan Pablo Montoya, tennis player Serena Williams and golfer Michelle Wie. The agency also works with the National Football League and the National Hockey League. Leads Yankees Rodriguez ranks 13th in baseball history with 539 home runs over his 15-year major-league career and may pass Barry Bonds as the sport's all-time home run king if he remains healthy. This season the 11-time All-Star leads the Yankees with 21 home runs and 62 runs batted in. Rodriguez is in his fifth season in New York, the U.S.'s largest media market. Cynthia Rodriguez's divorce petition, filed in a Florida court July 7, alleged that the marriage broke down because of her husband's ``extramarital affairs and other marital misconduct.'' ``It will be critical for (Rodriguez and William Morris) to work together to avoid any lasting damage to his personal brand,'' Carter, of the USC Sports Business Institute, said in an e-mail. Boras Keeps Role Rodriguez's agent, Scott Boras, said he's still representing the player in baseball-related negotiations. ``I haven't been doing his marketing work, so there's no change there,'' Boras said in a telephone interview. With the Yankees last season, Rodriguez won his third American League MVP award after hitting .314 with 54 homers and a career-high 156 runs batted in. Rodriguez, who spent his first 10 major-league seasons with the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers, has struggled in postseason play the past three years, hitting just .135 with one homer and one RBI in 13 playoff games. To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Matuszewski in New York at matuszewski@bloomberg.net Last Updated: July 22, 2008 02:11 EDT