Trump takes swipe at A-Rod
Trump was in Arkansas on Thursday to speak at the Economics Arkansas luncheon. According to arkansasbusiness.com, Trump talked about Rodriguez, three-time AL MVP who has been criticized for his perceived inability to come through in important situations.
"He always plays bad under pressure," Trump was quoted as saying. "Derek Jeter, he's the greatest. People love Derek Jeter. Are those cameras on? This is going to get broadcast back home. Oh, now he'll leave my building."
A company controlled by a corporation controlled by Rodriguez bought an apartment at Trump Park Avenue in Manhattan for $7.4 million in July 2005.
Jeter bought an apartment in Trump World Tower, another Manhattan building, in 2001.
Trump also talked about another famous sports figure — New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
"Tom Brady is a friend of mine. I walk into a room with him and people go wild. Of course, I think it's because of me. It's good for my ego," Trump was quoted as saying. "But he's with (girlfriend) Giselle (Bundchen), and probably many others. But that's a guy who never gave up."
Utilityman Joe Inglett was promoted from Triple-A Syracuse, with another roster move likely before today's game at Cleveland.
"By tomorrow we'll have something, either internally or externally," general manager J.P. Ricciardi said. "It's all pending a couple of things that I can't say right now. We've got some irons in the fire. Hopefully we'll be able to see it through. If not, we'll have to go to Plan B."
Inglett appeared in 12 games for Toronto earlier this season, batting .303 with no homers and four RBIs.
Eckstein suffered a strained right hip flexor diving for a ball in Tuesday's 5-4 loss. McDonald came on to replace Eckstein, but sprained his right ankle one inning later, catching a cleat and rolling over on his ankle as he went down to backhand a grounder.
McDonald immediately clutched his lower leg and had to be carted off the field. He left the stadium on crutches, but is now walking without them.
"I'm walking on it but I can't run on it," he said. "I wrenched it pretty good. The ligaments have got to heal up."
McDonald is batting .182 with no homers and one RBI in 17 games. Eckstein has a .246 average with one homer and 12 RBIs in 30 games.
Marco Scutaro was in the lineup at shortstop for the second straight game Thursday. Jorge Velandia, whose contract was purchased from Syracuse on Wednesday, will serve as Scutaro's backup.
MOYLAN HAS SEASON-ENDING SURGERY: Atlanta Braves reliever Peter Moylan will miss the rest of the season after having elbow-ligament replacement surgery Thursday.
Dr. James Andrews operated on Moylan's right elbow in Birmingham, Ala., after finding a bone spur had broken off and compromised the ligament, Braves spokesman Brad Hainje said.
Moylan opened the season as the setup man to closer Rafael Soriano, who is on the disabled list with a sore elbow. Moylan was 0-1 with one save and a 1.59 ERA this season.
PIRATES TRADE FOR OUTFIELDER MICHAELS: The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired outfielder Jason Michaels and cash from the Cleveland Indians on Thursday for a player to be named.
Michaels was designated for assignment Tuesday after hitting .207 with no home runs and nine RBIs in 21 games this season.
"We had a chance to get an established major league player, albeit one that is struggling a little bit this year," Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said. "But he's a guy who brings a veteran presence to the clubhouse and can legitimately play left and right field."
Michaels is a career .277 hitter with 37 homers and 203 RBIs in 632 games. The 32-year-old was in his third season with Cleveland after being drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1998 and making his debut with them in 2001.
Huntington was a special assistant to Indians general manager Mark Shapiro last season. Also, Pirates manager John Russell and bench coach Gary Varsho were formerly coaches in the Phillies organization when Michaels played there.
"He brings a lot of experience to the table," Huntington said.
Huntington indicated the Indians would pay a large portion of the remaining $1,680,055 Michaels is owed from his $2.15 million salary.
To make room on the roster, Pittsburgh optioned outfielder Nyjer Morgan to Triple-A Indianapolis after its 5-4 win over San Francisco on Thursday. Morgan batted .161 in 22 games for the Pirates this season.
Huntington said the 26-year-old Morgan will get a chance to play every day in Indianapolis.
"I'm the type of guy that the more I'm out there, the better I'm going to get," Morgan said. "I just look at it as a positive, definitely not a negative."
Michaels was expected to be in uniform when the Pirates host Atlanta in the opener of a three-game series Friday night.
LO DUCA TO GO ON DL WITH BROKEN HAND: Washington Nationals catcher Paul Lo Duca will be placed on the 15-day disabled list on Friday with a broken right hand.
Lo Duca broke the fourth metacarpal bone in his hand while batting in the seventh inning against Houston on Wednesday night. He just came off the DL last Friday after he was hit by a pitch and bruised the same hand on April 13.
Nationals manager Manny Acta said Lo Duca could be out four to six weeks.
Lo Duca said he may have come back from the earlier injury too quickly.
"Obviously, it was there before," he said. "When we took the X-ray the first time, it might've been a little too swollen to see it. I gave it time, it was getting better, but the more work I put in, it was starting to get sorer and sorer."
SCHILLING TESTS AILING SHOULDER AGAIN: Boston Red Sox starter Curt Schilling played long toss before Thursday's game against the Detroit Tigers, continuing his rehabilitation from a shoulder injury.
Red Sox manager Terry Francona said that the session went well, although progress hasn't been as quick as the 41-year-old pitcher would like.
"He wants to feel like he's 24 again, and I don't know how likely that's ever going to be," Francona said. "He did what we wanted him to do, and now we'll get him back on his exercise program and have him do it again on Saturday."
Schilling threw 25 balls from 60 feet away on Tuesday, testing the ailing right shoulder for the first time. He repeated the exercise Thursday before the Red Sox completed a four-game series in Detroit.
Schilling preferred to have surgery on the shoulder, but after being examined by three doctors, he agreed to rest and rehabilitation. Schilling has a tendon injury and possibly a damaged rotator cuff.
Schilling went 9-8 in 24 starts for the Red Sox last season despite missing six weeks with a shoulder problem. He won three games in the postseason, including Game 2 of the World Series.
He signed an $8 million, one-year contract with Boston in November, but announced in February that he would miss significant time because of the shoulder problem.
You can be the first to comment on this story.