MLB News Walt Weiss agrees to extension Manager Walt Weiss has agreed to a three-year contract extension with the Colorado Rockies.He went 74-88 in his first season as manager, a 10-game improvement over the previous season.The 49-year-old Weiss came out of the high school coaching ranks last year on a one-year deal with the Rockies after Jim Tracy stepped down following a 64-98 season in 2012.A former All-Star shortstop, Weiss spent 14 seasons in the major leagues, including four seasons with the Rockies in the 1990s. He also spent seven seasons, from 2002-08, as a special assistant to the general manager with the Rockies. Michael Bourn has hamstring surgery Indians center fielder Michael Bourn has had surgery on his left hamstring after getting hurt in Clevelands final regular-season game.Bourn had the operation in Dallas on Tuesday. The Indians said Bourn will need six weeks to recover at his home in Houston before he can begin his normal offseason program.The 30-year-old leadoff hitter sustained the injury while trying to steal second in the ninth inning of the Indians game on Sept. 29 in Minnesota. Cleveland clinched an AL wild-card playoff spot with a 5-1 win.Bourn played three days later in the wild-card game against Tampa Bay, but went 0 for 4 and struck out twice.He batted .263 with six homers and 50 RBIs in his first season with the Indians, who signed him to a four-year, $48 million contract in February. Manny Machado has knee surgery Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado had surgery Monday to repair a torn ligament in his left knee and is likely to miss the start of the 2014 season.Machados operation was performed in California by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, according to the team. Recovery time is estimated to be about six months.Manny has some work to do on the rehabilitation part of his recovery, which Im sure he will do with enthusiasm, Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said, according to the Baltimore Sun. But Manny and the doctors will tell us when hes ready to play. Its not going to be driven by the schedule. Its going to be driven by how well he comes along.Im sure Manny will do everything he can to be ready [for Opening Day], but its going to be determined by how it comes along.If he returns to the field in exactly six months, Machado would be eligible to return April 15 -- more than two weeks into the Orioles 2014 season. Baltimore will face the Boston Red Sox on March 31 on Opening Day.The 75-minute surgery Monday included an arthroscopy and open reconstruction of the medial patellar femoral ligament. A hamstring tendon was used to graft a replacement for the ruptured ligament.The 21-year-old Machado played in every game this season before the injury, which occurred on Sept. 23 when he stepped awkwardly on first base in a game at Tampa Bay.A first-time All-Star this season, Machado hit .283 with 14 homers, 71 RBIs and 51 doubles. Umpire Wally Bell dead at 48 - Major League Baseball umpire Wally Bell died of an apparent heart attack Monday, a week after working the National League playoff series between the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals. He was 48.The commissioners office said Bell died in his home state of Ohio.Bell had not been feeling well over the weekend and had been scheduled to see doctors later Monday at the Cleveland Clinic.Bell had quintuple bypass surgery on Feb. 18, 1999, that left him with an 8-inch scar down the middle of his chest. His father survived two heart attacks before he died. All of us at Major League Baseball are in mourning tonight regarding the sudden passing of Wally Bell, commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement. I always enjoyed seeing Wally, who was a terrific umpire and such an impressive young man. On behalf of our 30 clubs, I extend my deepest condolences to Wallys family, fellow umpires and his many friends throughout the game. Bell was the first active MLB umpire to die since John McSherry died of a heart attack on the field in Cincinnati on Opening Day in 1996.Bell worked the 2006 World Series and three All-Star Games, including this years event at Citi Field, where he was stationed at first base. A veteran of 21 big league seasons, he also had worked four league championship series and seven division series since joining the major league staff in 1993.It was a devastating loss for us. Wally was a true umpires umpire, said Gerry Davis, crew chief for the NL Championship Series. I think if youll check with the players and teams, they felt the same way because Wally always gave 110 percent on the field.The umpires for Game 3 at Dodger Stadium heard about Bells death an hour before they took the field.We had to regroup rather quickly and put our concentration where it needed to be, Davis said after Los Angeles beat St. Louis 3-0.We kept telling each other that thats the way Wally would have wanted it, and we know that thats really true. One of the things that we shared in the locker room afterwards is that Im sure hes very proud right now, he said. According to Bells biography on MLB, his proudest moment as a big league umpire was returning to the field after having open heart surgery. Two of his arteries had been 100 percent blocked, two more had been 80 percent blocked and another 70 percent.Bell came back 11 weeks after his heart problem was detected for a game in San Diego. That night, plate umpire Mark Hirschbeck took the first ball out of play and kept it as a souvenir for Bell. I am deeply saddened and shocked at the loss of umpire Wally Bell, said Joe Torre, MLB executive vice president for baseball operations. Umpiring was his life, and he touched so many people within the game of baseball. Aside from being an accomplished, All-Star-caliber umpire, Wally was a loving dad to his two teenage children. I extend my deepest condolences to them, his girlfriend Renee, the rest of his family and his admirers across Major League Baseball.During the 2013 regular season, Bell was a member of Tim McClellands crew.Wally was a great umpire, a great partner and a great friend. The umpiring community is deeply saddened by this tragic loss. He will be sorely missed by many, said major league ump Joe West, president of the World Umpires Association. -Owner Tony
Posted on: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 18:23:36 +0000