European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 5, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Paog46 stars and stripes july 2007 a act president baseball efforts for Blacks lacking the associated press new York the new interim president of the a act belittled baseballs efforts to boost Black chastising the sport in a letter tuesday to com missioner Bud baseball announced an agree ment last month with Komg in which the company will give million annually to lbs reviving baseball in inner cities rib Dennis Hayes called it a Small i Hope that mob will Start listening to current and former Afri can american baseball players about their disappointment in the dwindling number of Young Blacks who Are being coached and trained to enter the game that they Hayes they just like the a act be that if we dont do some thing Africa american players will become extinct when it comes major league base a study by the University of Central Florida Institute for diversity and ethics in sports said percent of major league play ers last season were the lowest level in at least two de mob has been working to re verse that in Louis and Cleveland played in an exhibition civil rights game organized by mob that Drew Atten Tion to the big unit goes Back on do Louis Arizona Pitcher Randy Johnson was put on the 15day disabled list for the third time this sidelined tues Day because of a sore Back right before his scheduled Start at the diamondbacks promoted 22yearold Rookie right hander you Sameiro Petit from triple Tucson to pitch in Johnsons the 43yearold Lethander said he Doest believe the injury is that Hast even been part of the Johnson i think when youve been around As Long As i you manage whatever comes its just one More Johnson is 43 with a Era this the 43yearold lefty had Back surgery last october and recently was diagnosed with a herniated Johnson began the season on the disabled then returned to the do on june the latest move was made retroactive to june the plan Calls for 10 Days of rest and after which the injury will be Johnson has taken two cortisone injections this year to relieve including one injection last but said the second shot was not As effective As the Johnson said the injury affects his right leg and forces him to drag the leg at times alter his de Johnson said the pain on tuesday was like a Sharp knife going into my phils Ueber to have season ending foot surgery Houston Philadelphia Phillies Pitcher Jon Lieber will undergo season ending surgery on Friday to repair a ruptured ten Don in his left the 37yearold right hander suffered the injury on june 20 while backing up Home plate on a play in he went on the disabled list three Days Lieber was 36 with a Era in 12 starts this he was the Phillies opening Day starter in 2005 and 06 but will become a free agent after this he pitched some Good base Ball for said Phillies manager Charlie if things had been a Little bit he Coul Dve pitched he had the Tal Lieber will have the surgery at the mercy medical Center in bal the team Lieber went 206 with the Chi Cago cubs in but Hes had Only two winning records since in 2004 with the new York Yan Kees 148 and 2005 with the Phil lies Podsednik goes on do Chicago the Chicago White sox placed outfielder Scott Podsednik on the 15day disabled list tuesday because of a strained left ribcage leaving the team without its Lead off the injury occurred sunday while batting in the first inning at Kansas and it came less than two weeks after Podsednik returned from a two month stint on the do with a strained adductor Hes theres no manager Ozzie Guillen Hes got a different in its not his its his its important for the bal club to have a Guy like but in the when you cant count on a Guy Darin and its i know pods is Hes right its hard to say i count on this kid when i know i mets Martinez throws simulated game Denver Pedro Martinez threw a simulated game tuesday at the new York mets Complex in port Martinez threw 50 pitches in three innings of it is a step in the right direct mets manager Willie ran Dolph the schedule for the next move is assistant pm John Ricco said the team wants the three time by Young award Winner to rest and see How he the plan All along was to Stop at this Point giving him a week to 10 Days Ricco it gives him a Chance to recharge and rest his body after nine months of extremely hard physical Ricco said the team will see How the 35yearold right hander responds to this Outing before deciding whether Martinez will go on a minor league giants activate aurilia from do Cincinnati Rich aurilia got healthy just in time to face his old the san Francisco giants activated the infielder from the 15day disabled list in time for the opener of a three game series against the Cincinnati aurilia spent the past two seasons with the reds be fore resigning with san fran Cisco last in excited to see my buddies and come Back Here and aurilia he had been sidelined since june 18 with a sore ing two acupuncture treatments last week before a two game rehab assignment with triple Fresno in Las the giants optioned outfielder Nate Schier Holtz to Fresno after sundays game to Clear roster room for the 35yearold i feel aurilia it went Well in and i had no pain and no it was 115 degrees on so my legs were a Little beat i will keep the Range of motion in the neck and keep it in done with it red sox form Alliance with japans Chiba Lotte Tokyo the Boston red sox have formed an Alliance with Bobby Valentines the Chiba Lotte marines of japans Pacific to share player evaluations and statistical Analy the marines Are managed by a former manager of the new York mets and Texas Craig vice president of International scouting for the red said wednesday that Boston will be Able to take advantage of Valentines knowledge of Japa Nese Bobby Valentines his his knowledge of Japa Nese and american baseball is second to Shipley besides sharing scouting re the clubs will Exchange training staff and front office develop ing baseball in China and other asian nations also will be part of the Security stepped up for Allstar events san fans at tending Allstar game events at Park will face tougher Security including Metal detectors and More restrictions in and around the giants officials said they Hope to avoid major delays by opening the Parks four Gates three hours before mondays Home run Derby and tuesdays Allstar Alex Rodriguezs play Hast been affected by Offield trouble brews when players wives attack nobody got too Bent out of shape Over the tank top Cynthia Rodriguez wore to Yankee stadium the other which might yet turn out to be a Good the Only reported in was the notion that Ballplay ers wives were Content being seen and not and that was languishing on life support being a celebrity is apparently easier than and if you want a measure of How Low the bar has try this a Hal Century or so Yankee superstar Joe Dimaggio wound up playing Sec Ond fiddle to his wife now and but she was Marilyn Mon on current Yankee superstar Alex Rodriguez woke up to find his wife on the front Page of the new York Post for no other reason than the two word obscenity first word begins with second word is you printed on the Back of her theres no Way to be sure whether Cynthia Rodriguez in tended the message for anyone in everyone close enough sunday to decipher the old English lettering squarely be tween her shoulder or no one at Shes apparently not the first person to Model that particular clothing but its doubt Ful the statement she had in mind was limited to Cynthia Rodriguez was sitting in the players family Section at the with the couples 2yearold daughter and a Friend in she had to know All those people snapping pictures we rent working on the Rodriguez family album and certainly not anybody from the which two months ago published a picture of her Hus band and a woman at a Toronto hotel under a similarly Pithy head line baseball wives Arent the Only ones causing their spouses head of though it turns out theres a tradition that reaches much farther Back than Anna one of the Best wives tales Ever in sports also involves who else the pitchers Mike Kekich and Fritz Peterson and their wives went on a double Date during the 1972 off season and got along so swimmingly that they joked about swapping at Spring train ing the following they announced they had done just that trading houses and even the family Jim Litke looking at the distractions he knew were already lurking on the Yan Kee general manager Lee Macphail tried to Light in the mood by we May have to Call off fam ily current pm Brian Cashman Hast considered that though he did speak to Rodriguez and his wife and acknowledged that team policy prohibits pro Fane language on clothing and banners at Yankee but As one fan told the it was noted by police and they were aware of i guess they didst know what to i guess you dont kick rods wife out of the maybe and maybe the fact that it didst kick up More of a ruckus is a Good plenty of athletes wives have already demonstrated How dangerous a Little attention can anybody remember How Kurt Warners lobbied endlessly during radio interviews a few years Back to get her Hus band traded from the rams or How wife of Pitcher Kris Benson and a former Penthouse famously threatened to sleep with the entire mets team plus the manager and Bat boy if she caught her husband cheating no sooner did the mets ship and Benson to Baltimore than she we would Ever have signed with new York if they had said they were going to Trade us excuse More the mets did it to be rid of and right about the last thing the Yankees need is a Simi Lar there barely within shouting distance of Al East leading on the other seems unfazed by any of the craziness breaking out All around the same afternoon that his wife made the front he was named Al player of the the second time that happened this who says love aint grand Jim Latke is a National sports columnist for the associated write to him at