Sport Scores

If there’s one thing President Obama will concede about his eight years as president, it’s that he never quite nailed the ceremonial first pitch. “We do a lot of tough stuff as president. And by definition you don’t end up being president if you don’t handle stress well. [But] nothing is more stressful than throwing a first pitch,” he told ESPN during the broadcast of an exhibition game between the…

Some left everything they knew and loved, risking it all, including their lives, just for the chance to play baseball in the U.S.  Now, the next generation of Cuban baseball players hoping to make it in the big leagues will have a much safer route there.  As of mid-March, Cuban citizens can now work and earn salaries from U.S. companies. That means Cuban baseball players can negotiate and sign with MLB…

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6:40 PM ET print Copy, paste, done: Value is relative. Need custom rankings and values for your auction draft? Plug your league’s settings into the custom dollar value generator. Only ESPN Insiders have access, so sign up today! Dollar Value Generator My annual column selecting my preferred draft-day targets always begins the same way, and it’s with good reason: Value differs depending upon one’s perspective, and it’s always context-driven. To…

While Cuban baseball players are world famous for their talent, Obama’s visit comes as Cuba’s favorite pastime struggles to survive a crippling spree of defections. MUST WATCH When Fidel Castro — himself an avid baseball fan — was president of Cuba, players faced a lifetime ban from the country if they left the island to play for huge sums in the U.S. But Castro’s younger brother and successor, Raul, has…

Cuban-American baseball fans, Mario Nunez and his 87-year-old father Felipe, traveled to Cuba to watch the Tampa Bay Rays play the Cuban national team during President Obama’s historic visit to the communist island. The younger Nunez thinks baseball can help bring the two countries together.

When President Barack Obama watches the Tampa Bay Rays play Cuba’s national team Tuesday in Havana, it will come at the deepest moment of crisis in more than 50 years for the island’s famed state-run baseball league. A flood of high-profile defections to the U.S. has gutted the country’s teams. Stadiums and fields are run down, and experts and fans say quality of play is, too. The…

HAVANA — When President Barack Obama watches the Tampa Bay Rays play Cuba’s national team today, it will come at the deepest moment of crisis in more than 50 years for the island’s famed state-run baseball league. A flood of high-profile defections to the U.S. has gutted the country’s teams. Stadiums and fields are run down, and experts and fans say quality of play is as well. The national team…

HAVANA — President Obama is here, the Tampa Bay Rays will play the Cuban national team in a baseball game Tuesday, and undoubtedly you have heard of goodwill building between two countries. You may be inclined to regard that sentiment with skepticism. But before you do, please allow me to tell you about an experience I had — something that affirms the power of sport, the immense potential in a…

When President Barack Obama watches the Tampa Bay Rays play Cuba’s national team Tuesday, it will come at the deepest moment of crisis in more than 50 years for the island’s famed state-run baseball league. A flood of high-profile defections to the U.S. has gutted the country’s teams. Stadiums and fields are run down, and experts and fans say quality of play is too. The national team hasn’t won a…

3:22 PM ET print Even when you’re a fan of one specific major league baseball team, it can be difficult to keep track of all of the news that surrounds your favorite club on a daily basis. 2016 fantasy baseball draft kit Get rankings, projections, strategy advice and more for the 2016 fantasy baseball season. Fantasy baseball: Cheat sheet central 2016 We give you fantasy baseball cheat sheets for the…

(Joe Camporeale, USA TODAY Sports) The annual Tout Wars fantasy baseball auctions took place this weekend in my home state of New York, at Sirius XM Radio’s Manhattan building. I returned for the 15-team mixed auction, where I fell just short of the title during the final weeks of last season. Hopefully, my notes can help with your auctions. Note: This is a league that counts on-base percentage, not batting average, so take that…

A 15-2 start has pushed Oregon State baseball to its best national ranking of the season. After seeing its 11-game win streak snapped the previous week, the Beavers completed a three-game sweep of Arizona State on Sunday and moved to No. 3 in D1Baseball.com rankings. Florida (21-1) remained No. 1 and Texas A&M (18-2) moved from No. 3 to No. 2. North Carolina (17-2) moved into the top five at No. 4, while Vanderbilt…

Listen, we know it’s tough to catch up on everything happening in the baseball world each morning. There are all kinds of stories, rumors, game coverage, and Vines of dudes getting hit in the beans every day. Trying to find all of it while on your way to work or sitting at your desk just isn’t easy. It’s okay, though, we’re going to do the heavy lifting for you each…

LSU dropped three, five and six places, respectively, in the D1Baseball.com, Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America national rankings this week. The Tigers’ slide follows a 1-2 start to SEC play this weekend against unranked Alabama (13-6, 2-1) after dropping both ends of a Saturday doubleheader to the Crimson Tide, 6-0 and 4-3. LSU (14-5, 1-2) rebounded with a 7-5 victory Sunday behind the strength of a six-run eighth inning. But…

Relations between the United States and Cuba continue to thaw after more than a half century of acrimony, and baseball is helping to facilitate this transition. On Tuesday, the Rays will play an exhibition game against the Cuban National Team. Among the spectators will be President Barack Obama, a truly historic moment that will once again shine a light on the island nation’s love for baseball. Cuba is a land full…

Listen, we know it’s tough to catch up on everything happening in the baseball world each morning. There are all kinds of stories, rumors, game coverage, and Vines of dudes getting hit in the beans every day. Trying to find all of it while on your way to work or sitting at your desk just isn’t easy. It’s okay, though, we’re going to do the heavy lifting for you each…

How good a baseball player was Fidel Castro? Fidel Castro throws a baseball before the start of a game between the Cuban military and the police on July 24, 1959. (Associated Press) Before turning to politics, Cuba’s revolutionary leader was said to be a right-handed pitcher with a fastball so good he was scouted by several big-league teams. Not so. Many of Castro’s biographers say the future dictator played for…

ASU’s Colby Woodmansee (37) throws out a Washington State runner at first base at Phoenix Municipal Stadium in Phoenix, AZ on May 14, 2015.(Photo: Patrick Breen/azcentral sports) No. 5 Oregon State baseball won 7-3 over No. 25 Arizona State on Sunday, sweeping the Pac-12 opening series in Corvallis. The Beavers jumped on top 2-0 in the first, knocking out ASU starter Reagan Todd after two-thirds of an inning. ASU scored…

HAVANA — Hector Guindo bounced his black, 1952 Dodge four-door sedan through the rain Sunday afternoon and gestured wildly as he talked about Tuesday’s game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban national baseball team. He spoke quickly and in Spanish. Every so often you could make out the name Dayron Verona, who was born in Cuba and defected three years ago with his mother….