Phillies INF Freddy Galvis suspended 50 games
abercrombie salePhiladelphia Phillies rookie infielder Freddy Galvis was suspended 50 games by Major League Baseball on Tuesday for testing positive for a banned substance.Galvis is currently on the disabled list with a back injury and will begin serving his suspension immediately. MLB said Galvis tested positive for a metabolite of Clostebol, a performance-enhancing substance."A trace amount of a banned substance — 80 parts in a trillion — was detected in my urine sample," Galvis said in a statement. "I am extremely disappointed in what has transpired. I cannot understand how even this tiny particle of a banned substance got into my body."I have not and never would knowingly use anything illegal to enhance my performance. I have always tried to follow the team's strength and conditioning methods, listen to the trainers, work out hard and eat right. Unfortunately, the rules are the rules and I will be suspended."Galvis, listed at 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, had filled in nicely for injured second baseman Chase Utley before getting hurt. He was batting .226 with three homers, 15 doubles and 24 RBIs. It's likely Galvis will be on the DL for the duration of his suspension."It's disappointing," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "We fully support the program and the decision. At the same time, we support the player, we want him to get healthy and get back on the field. We believe in the kid and think he has a great future for us."
abercrombie and fitch saleGalvis was primarily a shortstop in the minors and likely would've started at Triple-A this year because former MVP Jimmy Rollins plays his position. But Galvis moved over to second base in spring training to replace Utley and he made the transition look easy with his outstanding glove work.The 22-year-old Galvis suffered a pars fracture of his L45 vertebra while swinging the bat during a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 6. He is wearing a brace for at least three weeks and can't do any physical activity.I'd like to apologize to my all my fans, especially here in Philadelphia and back home in Venezuela, to my teammates and to the Phillies organization," Galvis said. "I am looking forward to putting this behind me, rehabilitating my back and returning to the Phillies as soon as possible to try to help them win another World Series." Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib on Monday cleared his biggest hurdle.Now, he must wait and see if NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will present another.Talib's pending charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon was dropped Monday by authorities in Dallas. Talib was scheduled to go to trial next week and faced up to 20 years in prison if convicted.But the NFL has not ruled on possible discipline for his role in the shooting incident in March 2011. On Tuesday, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league office plans to review the case. It likely will decide on potential discipline before the regular season. Also, according to Talib's lawyer, the NFL requested a copy of the dismissal order, which is on file with the criminal district court.
abercrombie and fitch outletTalib is still subject to discipline by Goodell under the league's far-reaching personal-conduct policy. It lets Goodell fine and/or suspend players regardless of the legal outcomes of their criminal cases.These decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. But there is relevant precedent.Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was suspended for four games in 2010 after he was accused of — but not charged with — sexual assault in Georgia. After investigating, authorities said they believed something inappropriate happened, but they couldn't produce evidence to convict.Talib's problem might be compounded by a previous visit to Goodell's office for a review of conduct — in 2009 when he was accused of hitting a St. Petersburg cab driver and last year after his arrest in this case. Talib was suspended for one game after the 2009 incident even though there wasn't an official finding of guilt (he agreed to a pre-trial diversion program).In Talib's favor: Last year's incident occurred during the NFL lockout, when a collective bargaining agreement was not in place. That could be grounds for contesting Goodell's authority.The players union's ongoing fight over the discipline handed down in the Saints' "Bounty-gate" scandal — which has created a debate over Goodell's unilateral ability to hand down discipline — could also help Talib.Leaf must undergo drug treatment
abercrombie fitchGREAT FALLS, Mont. — Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf was sentenced to nine months of lockdown addiction treatment followed by time in a prerelease center after pleading guilty last month to breaking into a house and illegally possessing painkillers. District Judge Kenneth Neill of Great Falls sentenced Leaf to seven years with the Department of Corrections, with two years suspended.BOUNTY CASE: Former Saints defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove denied it was his voice saying "Give me the money" on a video clip used as evidence in the league's investigation into the team's alleged bounty scheme. "It wasn't me," Hargrove said in a statement outside league headquarters. "That's right. The NFL got their evidence all wrong." Hargrove, now with the Packers, has been suspended eight games. Also, the office of Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, said he and Goodell will meet for about 15 minutes today on the bounty case, then appear together at a news conference. On Wednesday, before what's expected to be a packed house (or at least a crowded hotel lobby hallway), the BCS Band -- Craig Thompson and Britton Banowsky backup vocals, Karl Benson on rhythm guitar, Jeff Hurd on tambourine, Jon Steinbrecher on harmonica, Joe Bailey on cow bell and Bill Hancock as Col. Tom Parker -- gets together for their farewell show. Since that first bash in New Orleans, they've come a long way. At the outset, they compared this tour to a marathon. They've said dozens of times how much progress they've made, but still there have been some bumps in the road. Remember when they floated that "Four Teams Plus" playoff model? Really? Three semifinals? That was a huge flop.
abercrombie and fitch ukThey've had some ups and downs. No Almost Famous-like plane crash scares, but there were casualties. Four band members -- Chuck Neinas, John Marinatto, Wright Waters and Benson -- have been replaced with new talent. Only Benson remains in a new role. Not only has one-third of the commissioners changed, but one of the 11 conferences probably won't even be around in 2014, when college football's new playoff begins, to collect its share of the estimated $400 million annually the new system will bring in. What will the new system look like? That's up to the Presidential Oversight Committee to determine, but multiple sources have given CBSSports.com an idea of what formats the commissioners will forward to the oversight committee. In each of the above formats, the championship game would be bid out to any bowl/city willing to pay for the opportunity to host college football's national title game. Other details about what the commissioners will present, sources told CBSSports.com, include that there "appears to be more support now for the top four ranked team model than the conference champion model among 'the five [conferences].' "The five [the Big Ten's Delany, SEC's Slive, Big 12's Bowlsby, Pac-12's Scott and ACC's Swofford] are going to make this decision," a source said. Also, the proposal to hold semifinal games on-campus was not discussed at last week's meeting and is no longer being considered by the commissioners.
