Anthony Rizzo climbs Wrigley Field tarp to make amazing catch (VIDEO)

We all love seeing players leaping into the stands for a catch, but Anthony Rizzo just might have set the bar pretty high for all amazing catches in the future.

The Chicago Cubs first baseman tested the limits of the Wrigley Field playing area, and a little known Major League Baseball rule, to complete one of the wildest plays ever.

The acrobatic play happened in the sixth inning of Wednesday's Cubs 3-2 victory against the Milwaukee Brewers when Rizzo chased Ryan Braun's pop-up down the first-base line before hopping on the tarp and tumbling into the stands to make the catch.

The second best part of the play might be the Cubs fans who engulfed Rizzo who landed about three rows up. 

And because the nimble-footed Rizzo made the catch with one foot on the wall and not in the stands, it was ruled an out.

Betcha didn't know about that rule?

Braves-Brewers game delayed by giant video screen malfunction (PHOTO)

Play between the Braves and Brewers was halted for a few minutes on Monday night because the graphics on Turner Field's giant video screen morphed into a blinding test pattern.

Because the video board is in dead center field and right in the batter's (and catcher's and umpire's) line of sight, it was turned off completely so play could resume, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel.

So, this just happened. #Braves pic.twitter.com/Fo2yVRsKCU
— Joe Morgan (@joe_morgan) May 20, 2014

Luckily for everyone — except Ryan Braun — the giant video board started working properly a few innings later.

Fans cheer as the scoreboard comes back to life...then proceed to boo since Ryan Braun's photo is showing. #Braves
— Kevin McAlpin (@KevinMcAlpin) May 20, 2014

And pity the poor guy who had to adjust and hold the oversized antenna for the rest of the game.

Mets fans boo New York mayor as he throws opening day first pitch (VIDEO)

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio was booed at Citi Field on Monday, even before he had a chance to throw out the first pitch.

The lanky, 6-foot-5 right-hander was greeted by Bronx cheers as soon as his name was announced during the Mets opening-day festivities in Flushing.

De Blasio — a noted Boston Red Sox fan, wore a Mets cap and jersey with a No. 6 on it in honor of 1960s-era Red Sox player Rico Petrocelli — tossed a strike to Mets catcher Travis d’Arnaud, and flashed a relieved grin after his pitch reached the plate.

The rookie mayor — in office for only 90 days — played off the boos, suggesting that his supporters might have been too cold to cheer.

Yeah right.

But it was the Mets' bullpen that deserved the jeers after blowing an eighth inning lead before losing to Washington Nationals 9-7.

Ryan Braun loses restaurant chain deal

A Wisconsin corporation, which licensed Ryan Braun's name in affiliation with its restaurants all over the state, will be the latest company to cut ties with the shamed ballplayer.

On Thursday, the SURG Restaurant Group announced that it has decided to end its business relationship with Milwaukee Brewers outfielder, who is under suspension by Major League Baseball for violations of baseball’s joint drug prevention and treatment program regarding his ties with the Biogenesis scandal.

The new special on the menu could be called "Chicken Catchanomore."

The action, which had been expected, was confirmed by SURG late Thursday in a press release. SURG said it will keep Ryan Braun’s Graffito in Milwaukee’s 3rd Ward open until the end of 2013 “to honor its pre-existing obligations to its customers and employees.” However, Graffito will close after the holiday season.

SURG will change the name of the 8-Twelve MVP Bar & Grill in Brookfield — which gets its name from Braun’s uniform number 8 and his old friend Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers number 12. The name also will change for SURG group’s planned 8-Twelve restaurant at Bayshore Town Center.

“We’ve appreciated the relationship we had with Ryan over the last several years, and the entire SURG family wishes him success in the future,” said Michael Polaski, CEO and co-owner of SURG Restaurant Group.

Things just keep falling apart for Braun, who also lost a deal with convenience store Kwik Trip and a shoe deal with Nike after he was suspended.

A month after accepting the suspension, Braun apologized in a statement through the Brewers, admitting that he had used a banned substance in cream and lozenge form.

"It was a huge mistake for which I am deeply ashamed and I compounded the situation by not admitting my mistakes immediately," Braun said in the statement.

"By coming forward when I did and waiving my right to appeal any sanctions that were going to be imposed, I knew I was making the correct decision and taking the first step in the right direction. It was important to me to begin my suspension immediately to minimize the burden on everyone I had so negatively affected -- my teammates, the entire Brewers organization, the fans and all of MLB."

Plans for the two 8-Twelve locations still are evolving, but they will be re-branded into “exciting restaurant experiences,” said Omar Shaikh, president of SURG. Both restaurants will focus on locally-sourced products, including beef and pork from Polaski’s Hidden Creek Farms in New London.

Rodgers will continue his relationship with SURG with a focus on community relations and charitable activities, Polaski said.

Braun said in a press release from SURG that he supported the company’s decision and wished the best of luck to the SURG Restaurant Group.

A-Rod's 'inner circle' outed other players in PED investigation: Report

A blockbuster report from "60 Minutes" claims New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez's inner circle obtained and leaked documents that implicated Milwaukee Brewers slugger Ryan Braun as well as his own Yankees teammate, catcher Francisco Cervelli, in the doping scandal that has swept over Major League Baseball.

The leak came in February — just days after the weekly newspaper Miami New Times published documents in January detailing Rodriguez's alleged use of performance enhancing drugs.

The "60 Minutes" report says — whether it was a tactical legal maneuver or not — A-Rod's group basically named names and threw a teammate under the bus.

According to "60 Minutes," the handwritten documents of Anthony Bosch —the key witness in Major League Baseball's PED investigation — revealed comprehensive doping regimens that Bosch had engineered for a host of professional athletes. His cooperation with MLB has resulted in the suspension of Rodriguez and 13 other major league players.

Braun and Cervelli's names were redacted in the Miami New Times documents. Members of Rodriguez's camp at the time obtained unredacted versions and leaked them to Yahoo! Sports, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter. The unredacted documents also implicated Baltimore Oriole Danny Valencia, who MLB later investigated and cleared.

In a statement to "60 Minutes," Rodriguez lawyer David Cornwell said, "The allegations are untrue and are another attempt to harm Alex -- this time by driving a wedge between Alex and other players in the game. While Alex focuses on baseball and repeatedly states that he is going to respect the appeal process, the drumbeat of false allegations continues.

The report continued:

The revelation that members of Rodriguez's camp at the time leaked documents implicating other players to the media could present significant problems for Rodriguez's legal team as they enter the arbitration process to appeal his suspension. Baseball officials say they levied a harsher suspension on Rodriguez because of his continued use of PEDs over multiple years as well as his attempt to "obstruct and frustrate" MLB's investigation.

Rodriguez's case is set to be heard by arbitrator Fredric Horowitz in the coming weeks. If MLB were to present evidence that Rodriguez's camp knowingly leaked additional Bosch business records, it might demonstrate that Rodriguez's camp had not only obtained them to keep them out of the hands of investigators, but that he actively sought to interfere with baseball's investigation by releasing other players' names. 

In early April, accusations arose that Rodriguez had purchased at least some of Bosch's business records. Rodriguez's spokesperson at the time flatly denied the reports.

Rodriguez has denied any connection to Bosch and his clinic, and says he was never treated by him, advised by him, and that the Miami New Times documents implicating him are not legitimate.

On July 22, Braun accepted a 65-game suspension for the remainder of the 2013 season for taking performance-enhancing drugs. And on Aug. 5, Cervelli, along with 11 other players, accepted a 50-game ban. MLB has suspended Rodriguez for 211 games. Rodriguez is appealing.

Just when you think A-Rod has hit bottom — he sinks even more.

MLB suspensions likely to drop this week; A-Rod's could last until 2015: Report

Alex Rodriguez spent his birthday on the field of the Yankees’ minor league Tampa complex Saturday, taking small steps in yet another attempted comeback bid. You can probably guess what what the embattled New York Yankees third baseman was wishing for when he blew out the 38 candles.

After the fallout from Ryan Braun's sordid suspension, all indications lead to Major League Baseball announcing all of the suspensions in the Biogenesis case this week, including one that could keep A-Rod out the rest of this year and all of next season, according to The New York Post.

If it all goes according to MLB’s reported plan to announce the suspensions all 15-plus players facing sanctions in the performance-enhancing drug case, expect the hammer to drop hardest on the Yankees slugger. MLB went early — and somewhat easy — with Braun’s suspension because of his willingness to accept the penalty without appeal.

It is expected other players will do the same this week. To that end, Rodriguez’s representatives met with MLB officials in the past few days, reported The Post. It is believed A-Rod’s camp was trying to gain a better understanding of potential penalties. However, a member of Rodriguez’s team said yesterday it is “unequivocally untrue” that Rodriguez is seeking a settlement.

A-Rod could still face MLB roadblock on way back to Yankees warns player's union exec

On Wednesday, Alex Rodriguez said he was "excited like a ten-year-old boy" about the possibility of rejoining the New York Yankees in Texas by Monday.

Today, that same "boy" might be holding his breath after the executive director of the Player's Association laid out a not so sunny scenario for A-Rod and the other major leaguers linked to the Biogenesis scandal.

Speaking to The New York Daily News at a union golf fund-raiser for Hurricane Sandy charities at Bethpage Black, Michael Weiner said that if Major League Baseball has overwhelming evidence linking the players to the defunct anti-aging clinic and its founder, Anthony Bosch, the powerful Players Association may be in the position of putting the kibosh on Rodriguez's long-awaited return.

“I can tell you, if we have a case where there really is overwhelming evidence, that a player committed a violation of the program, our fight is going to be that they make a deal,” Weiner said without referring to specific players. “We’re not interested in having players with overwhelming evidence that they violated the (drug) program out there. Most of the players aren’t interested in that. We’d like to have a clean program.”

The News wrote:

Weiner did not specifically mention Rodriguez by name, sources have told The News that MLB investigators have gathered an overwhelming amount of evidence that shows the Yankee star received performance-enhancing drugs from Biogenesis. Players connected to Biogenesis will soon begin meeting with union officials and MLB executives to discuss pending penalties.

Players who don’t grieve suspensions are expected to begin serving them immediately; those who opt for arbitration could see their cases drag into next year.

“We will surely meet with the commissioner’s office and try to resolve all the pending cases. If we can’t, we’ll have arbitration cases. At this point, that’s all we can say. It will happen soon,” Weiner said. Speaking to baseball writers on Tuesday, Weiner said that the union will try to find common ground with MLB officials on the length of suspensions and how they will be publicized. He reiterated that on Wednesday, adding that in many instances grievances, including some involving banned substances, are settled before a suspension is imposed and publicly announced.

“This is a somewhat new situation, but some of those grievances have been disciplinary grievances as well,” Weiner said. “They just don’t get the play that the Biogenesis case did.”

A source said in the past Weiner has quietly convinced MLB to drop 10 to 15 drug cases by pointing out flaws in those cases. Weiner also raised questions about the highly contentious Ryan Braun arbitration of 2012. In that case, the Brewers star was supported by the Players Association and successfully challenged a 50-game doping suspension by raising questions about the chain of custody of his urine sample.

“The Braun case was one of many where there were problems with the case,” the source said. “The others just didn’t become public.”

Sources said Rodriguez should expect no better than a 150-game ban if a deal is reached. Other sources said no meeting between Rodriguez, the union and MLB has been set up, but the source added: “It will be soon.”

Wednesday, Rodriguez denied that any deal is being negotiated on his behalf. “No deals. At this moment that is all we can discuss on the matter. There’s no deal that I instructed anyone to do at this point,” Rodriguez said on WFAN.

There is also the possibility that Rodriguez, after evaluation and consultation with physicians, would be declared physically unable to perform once he returns to the Yankees — almost eight months after his second hip surgery in four years — and retire, although he would still be able to collect the more than $100 million owed to him by the Bombers.

Rodriguez is expected to finish his rehab games this weekend with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankee affiliate starting Thursday.

Don't book that ticket to Texas just yet A-Rod.

Desperate A-Rod summoned Anthony Bosch while Yankees played Tigers in 2012 ALCS: Report

Alex Rodriguez was so desperate to break out of a batting slump during last year's ALCS that he reportedly turned to the one person he thought could help him — Biogenesis founder and accused PED peddler Anthony Bosch, reports The New York Daily News.

According to an article Tuesday in The Miami New Times — the newspaper which first published documents from Bosch's anti-aging clinic, which linked dozens of pro athletes to performance-enhancing drug use — a former business associate of Bosch claims Rodriguez was mired in a major slump which caused him to lose his starting job in the series against the Detroit Tigers. In desperation,  A-Rod summoned Bosch to Detroit to help him.

The Miami New Times reported that Porter Fischer said he confronted Bosch about the money owed to him when Bosch returned from Detroit after the Yankees were swept by the Tigers, a series in which A-Rod went 1-for-9.

A baseball source said the Yankees had no knowledge of Bosch traveling to Detroit during the 2012 ALCS.

A clipping from the Daily News article said:

In addition to the A-Rod claim, Porter told the weekly paper that MLB investigators offered to pay him for information about Biogenesis and Bosch, the self-styled “biochemist” who allegedly supplied PEDs to Rodriguez, Milwaukee Brewers star Ryan Braun and other players.

MLB spokesman Patrick Courtney, however, disputed the allegations. Courtney said Fischer approached MLB officials about selling Bosch’s records to them. “He sought to be compensated for his information and documents,” Courtney said. “We were unable to reach an agreement. Since we became aware of the Biogenesis allegations, we have pursued every legal avenue to enforce our drug program.”

Fischer, a Biogenesis investor who did marketing for the shuttered Coral Gables clinic, told the weekly newspaper that MLB paid him $5,000 for documents from the clinic. Fischer also claims in the report that he stole Biogenesis documents and later supplied them to the Miami New Times in January. Fischer told the paper that he turned over the documents to spite Bosch, because he says Bosch refused to pay money owed to him.

Fischer also details in the New Times report how a friend provided notebooks — recalling interactions with Biogenesis clients — to representatives of Rodriguez. A spokesman for Rodriguez declined comment.

Bosch and his representatives have met in Miami with MLB officials this month, after he agreed to provide them with information that can be used to discipline (or bury) Rodriguez. A source told the Daily News that Bosch and his representatives provided “reams of materials” about A-Rod, Braun and other players’ links to Biogenesis.

A third baseball source told The Daily News Rodriguez doesn’t think Bosch “has anything” on him, and that baseball is “not going to be able to get what they want” to punish the slugger, who is currently rehabbing from January hip surgery. The third source added that Rodriguez is “very confident” he will play for the Yankees this season. A-Rod isn’t expected back until after the All-Star break.

MLB officials have agreed to drop Bosch from their lawsuit, pay his legal expenses and indemnify him from future litigation if he provides them with credible information.

Biogenesis — the anti-aging clinic that must make A-Rod feel like he's 100-years old.

Biogenesis clinic records available for the right price: Report

If collecting ordinary baseball cards has become passe and begging for autographs feels like a thing of the past, collectors might be in the market for souvenirs with a little more clout — let's say the Biogenesis records linking major league players to Anthony Bosch's scrutinized clinic.

A lot of interested parties are looking for the scandal-ridden documents reportedly involving Major League Baseball's biggest names. Documents that could possibly keep a player like Alex Rodriguez or Ryan Braun out of the Hall of Fame.

According to a report in The New York Daily News, the Bosch clinic's records have become available to the highest bidders in sort of a black market baseball trade show — and people aren't collecting them to be framed and hung — so to speak.

The seedy world of baseball memorabilia has officially collided with the seedy world of Anthony Bosch.

The detailed documents linking dozens of Major League Baseball players to Bosch and performance-enhancing drugs that are floating around the back alleys of South Florida have landed in the hands of at least one consigner looking to peddle what he described as “the kind of stuff that keeps someone out of the Hall of Fame.”

The consigner recently contacted a prominent memorabilia dealer with an offer to sell what he said were “original documents” from Bosch’s clinic for which he said he had already rejected a $50,000 offer from a different bidder.

He added that he had already sold “copies of them to a fool.”

The documents offered for sale include detailed information about the purchases of performance-enhancing drugs — and possibly player signatures.

The memorabilia dealer, who requested anonymity because of the controversial nature of the documents and the evidence they might contain, declined the offer. The seller, who did not identify himself, asked the dealer to pass along the information to any clients who might be interested.

An interested party then contacted the seller, who told the person the documents from Bosch’s now-defunct Biogenesis anti-aging clinic are “black and white. It’s all there.

You’ve read about it, the list of names. It’s serious stuff. Kick it around, kick it around. You might have a direct line to some of these guys, I don’t know.” 

Reyes Pulled After Getting Hit To Preserve Batting Title Chances

Jose Reyes celebrated a lead-off bunt-single in the first inning-- lifting his batting average to a National League-leading .337  (technically, almost three points higher than Milwaukee's Ryan Braun's .335) in the New York Mets season finale this afternoon-- before Mets manager Terry Collins promptly removed his shortstop for a pinch-runner.

When Collins pulled Reyes, the home-crowd cheers at CitiField broke out into resounding boos.

While the manager's move almost guarantees Reyes the batting title, it didn't evoke any memories of Ted Williams's dignified pursuit of .400 when the Red Sox legend finished playing both games of a double-header after he already reached the milestone on the final day of the season 70 years ago.

Collins had hinted that he would lift his shortstop once Reyes had a higher average than his competition, but the move disappointed a lot of the fans who came to see their free-agent-to-be do it more legitimately.

Get the asterisks ready.

In what could be Reye's last at-bat in a Mets uniform, it was kind of an anti-climatic end to the player's amazing season and who was possibly the lone bright spot during the team's dismal year. 

Reyes admitted last week that he was striving to become the first Mets player to win a batting title and was routinely reminded about it.

He said he was being overwhelmed with text messages telling him what Braun did and what Braun was doing.

Braun must now go 3-for-4 in Wednesday night's game vs. Pittsburgh to pass Reyes for the title.

If Braun goes 3-for-4 and has another at-bat, do you think he'll be pulled from the game?