4 Balls

Baseball Update:
The Yankees rallied in the ninth with homeruns by Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, but Dan Wheeler was able to retire Xavier Nady for the final out to preserve the Rays, 7-5 win.

The Jays crushed the Twins with a 9-0 win, completing a sweep and knocking Minnesota a game and a half behind the White Sox in the Central as they head home for the first time in two weeks. Travis Snider hit a homerun in the fifth and then drove in a run in the sixth in the win for Toronto.

The Angels battered the Tigers, 7-1, making their magic number just six games. Sean Rodriguez struck out a 4-2 pitch. Yeah you read that right. LA pitcher Jered Weaver will miss his next start after injurying himself getting off of the dugout bench.

The Brewers dropped their fourth straight, falling to the Padres, 5-2. While hopping to make their first playoff appearance in 26 years, they are also looking towards the offseason, knowing that it is going to be very expensive to re-sign CC Sabathia.

The Cubs were dealt a huge blow after a MRI revealed tendinitis and inflammation in Carlos Zambrano's right rotator cuff. Zambrano received a shot of anti-inflammatory medication and they hope he can start throwing in a couple of days.

The Phillies third base coach Steve Smith has been suspended two games and fined for arguing with an umpire during last week's game in Chicago..

The Braves have had very little to smile about this season due to the vast amounts of injuries...and you know losing. But on Thursday, that got a stellar outting by recent call-up James Parr who pitched six shut out innings in the Braves 2-0 defeat of the Nationals. Could he be this year's Jeff Bennett?

The Nats will be lowering ticket prices for next season by about $5 or $10. Even with a brand new Stadium, the Nationals still rank in the bottom of fan attandence. On the other side of the coin, the Red Sox are poised to break a major league record for number of consecutive sellouts on Friday.

The Rangers all-star second baseman Ian Kinsler will undergo season ending surgery to fix a sports hernia in his abdominal wall.

Sad News, former Orioles infielder Todd Cruz has died at the age of 52.

Want those seats you've sitting in a Shea Stadium for the last 10-15 years? Sure, that will be $869, please!

Looking at the weekend's schedule, the Mets will host the Phillies, in a huge series that could allow the Phils to make up some ground or allow the Mets to put some distance between them. And the Dodgers and Diamondbacks will square off in a similiar situtation.

Nascar Update:
It's the final race before the Chase and for bubble drivers like Kasey Kahne, David Ragan, Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer and Denny Hamlin, the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond is a do or die situation. The combination of short track and night racing usually leads to lots of sparks, so except some excitement as you tune into ABC on Saturday night with coverage starting at 7 PM/est.

Everyone's checking the doppler to see if Hurricane/Tropical Storm Hanna will effect Saturday night's race.

Gillett Evernham Motorsports has sued Robby Gordon for violating a tentative agreement that would have sold Gordon's Robby Gordon Motorsports to GEM for $23.5 million early this year.

There will not be a Nationwide Series COT until 2010.

News&Notes: The Giants opened the season with a big fat win. While the score was 16-7, the game could have been a even bigger blowout for the G-Men who seemed to stiffle the Redskins early and often...Prior to kickoff, Plaxico Burress and the Giants agreed to a 5 year deal that could be worth $35 million with a guaranteed $11 million this season...The Bengals have announced that number 85 is Chad Ocho Cinco and they are currently in the process of changing Chad's last name from Johnson to Ocho Cinco in all official team documents...Umeployment equalled retirement for Daunte Culpepper...Vanderbilt upset South Carolina, 24-17...Novak Djokovic eneded Andy Roddick's run at the US Open...Newsflash, according to a new book written by Jamel Thomas, his cousin Stephon Marbury is selfish.

Check this out: Learn the fact from the fiction in this article about one my favorite guilty pleasures Gossip Girl. (Warning: There are spoilers about the upcoming season in the article!)