Marlins fire Mike Redmond, hire GM Dan Jennings as new manager
Sunday's near no-hitter at the hands of Shelby Miller was the straw that broke the camel's back for Mike Redmond. That loss dropped the Marlins to 16-22, and Redmond got the axe. Numerous candidates were rumored to take over, such as Ivan Rodriguez and Jeff Conine, but from out of left field, the Marlins chose GM Dan Jennings. The selection confused many people, and even Jennings' own mother questioned the decision. Since Jennings took over, the Marlins have yet to win a game, and are 6-15 for month. If that wasn't bad enough, the players skipped out on a charity event that was scheduled after Thursday's loss against Arizona. The reason given: "It was just bad timing."
Rays affiliate cancels promotion after Yankees complain
The Class-A Charlotte Stone Crabs cancelled their scheduled promotional giveaway on Friday after the Yankees took issue with what was supposed to be a cheeky, yet good-natured ribbing of Alex Rodriguez. The promotion, "A-rod juice box night", would've given the first 500 fans to the game juice boxes that had the following printed on them.
100% Juiced
Side Affects [sic] include: tainted records, inflated ego, omission from the Hall of Fame, and more!
I found this hilarious, but the Yankees front office developed a case of the butthurt, saying the promotion was in poor taste. If I'm not mistaken, weren't the Yankees trying to distance themselves from A-rod, but now they're trying to defend him?
Rafael Furcal announces retirement
Fomer Braves shortstop Rafael Furcal announced his retirement Tuesday. Furcal missed all of 2013 and most of 2014 with injury after being named an All-Star in 2012 with the Cardinals. He debuted with the Braves in 2000 and won NL Rookie of the Year that year; he also played six seasons with the Dodgers and two with the Cardinals. He managed to appear in only nine games with the Marlins in 2014.
Bruce Chen announces retirement
Bruce Chen major-league debut was September 7, 1998 for the Braves. 17 years later, he's called it a career. Chen was able to stick around for that long despite a career 4.62 ERA and a W-L record of 82-81. In addition to the Braves, he suited up for 10 other teams, including the Expos, but most often for the Royals with whom he spent six years.