David Rubenstein reportedly has deal to buy Baltimore Orioles for $1.725 billion

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Carlyle Group Inc. co-founder David Rubenstein has reached an agreement to buy the Baltimore Orioles for $1.725 billion, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday night because the agreement had not been announced. Rubenstein, a Baltimore native, will take over as the team’s controlling owner, and he’s assembled an investment team that includes Ares co-founder Michael Arougheti.

The Angelos family has been in control of the Orioles since 1993, when Peter Angelos purchased the team for $173 million. Angelos’ son John is the team’s current chairman. The team recently reached a deal on a new lease extension at Camden Yards. Maryland officials approved that long-term agreement after months of negotiations.

Orioles legend and Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. is part of the ownership group, per multiple reports.

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That deal extended the lease for 30 years, with an option to end it after 15 if the team does not receive approval from state officials for development plans next to the ballpark.

Prior to forming Carlyle in 1987, Rubenstein practiced law in Washington. From 1977-81, he was a deputy assistant for domestic policy to President Jimmy Carter. After graduating from Duke in 1970, he attended University of Chicago Law School.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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World Series MVP Corey Seager to miss most of Rangers’ spring training after surgery

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2023 World Series MVP Corey Seager had surgery Tuesday for a left sports hernia repair. The Texas Rangers All-Star shortstop will miss most of spring training.

General manager Chris Young said Seager had the surgery in Arizona, where the team holds spring training, and will remain there for rehabilitation. The Rangers are hopeful Seager will be ready by opening day.

“I’m not going to commit to a hard timeline,” Young said. “The hope is that by the end of spring, he’ll have resumed baseball activity and will be pretty close to full speed at that point.”

Young said the hernia issue came up during the postseason, when Seager was getting some minor treatment in the training room, but it didn’t impact his play as Rangers won their first World Series title.

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Even after extended rest following the season, Seager felt effects of the hernia through offseason workouts. Young said Seager and the team opted for surgery.

Seager hit .318 with six homers and 12 RBIs, along with 15 walks, in their 17 postseason games. He homered three times in the World Series, including a tying drive in the ninth inning of the opener.

In the regular season, the second of his $325 million, 10-year contract with Texas, Seager hit .327 with a league-best 42 doubles, 33 homers and 96 RBIs in 119 games.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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Burned remnants of prized Jackie Robinson statue found after theft from public park in Kansas

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Fire crews found the burned remnants Tuesday of a prized bronze statue of Jackie Robinson that was stolen last week from a public park in Kansas, authorities said.

The Wichita fire department received a call around 8:40 a.m. about a trash can on fire at Garvey Park in the southern part of the city and discovered what appeared to be pieces of the statue, according to police spokesperson Andrew Ford. At a news conference Tuesday, he described it as “not salvageable.”

The statue, which was cut at the figure’s ankles, went missing Thursday morning. It honors the first player to break Major League Baseball’s color barrier in 1947.

“If it turns out it was racially motivated, then obviously that is a deeper societal issue and it certainly would make this a much more concerning theft,” said Bob Lutz, Executive Director of the Little League nonprofit that commissioned the sculpture. “We’ll wait and see what this turns out to be.”

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League 42, which is named after Robinson’s Dodgers number, paid about $50,000 for the model, which was installed in 2021 in McAdams Park, where roughly 600 children play in the youth baseball league. It also offers educational programs.

The police spokesperson said that with assistance from arson investigators, they have conducted more than 100 interviews. Surveillance video shows two people hauling the sculpture away in the dark, to a truck that was later found abandoned.

“Yes, it’s really disheartening to see the remnants of the statue and the disgraceful way in which it has been disrespected,” Wichita police Chief Joe Sullivan said, describing the discovery of it as a “direct indication of the pressure” suspects felt from the ongoing investigation.

He said police are conferring with the prosecutor’s office on a regular basis.

“There will be arrests, but we’re going to make sure that when we do, we will have a solid case,” he said, adding that for anyone involved in the theft “it is only a matter of time.”

Robinson played for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues before joining the Brooklyn Dodgers, paving the way for generations of Black American ballplayers. He’s considered not only a sports legend but also a civil rights icon.

Lutz, the nonprofit director, said there will be a new statue installed that will look exactly like the old one, which was made by his friend, the artist John Parsons, before his death. He said the mold is still viable and anticipated that a replacement could be erected within a matter of months.

“I’m trying to keep it together,” he said, adding: “The statue that reappears at McAdams Park will be the work of John Parsons.” He stressed that “we are ready for some joy.”

The theft was discovered shortly before Black History Month. But Lutz said in an interview after the news conference that he was hopeful the motive wasn’t racial, but that the thieves just saw the bronze as monetarily valuable.

Council Member Brandon Johnson described the statue as a “symbol of hope” and said donations for the replacement are coming from local businesses and through an online fundraiser.

“This now lets us know that we need a new statue,” he said of the destroyed remains. “We’re no longer looking for a complete intact statue. We know we need to raise the money to replace it, and we will do so.”

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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‘The Show’ cover star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. looking to set arbitration record

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Although he’s never gone through the process before, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. doesn’t seem too unsettled about the possibility of his 2024 salary being decided by a three-person arbitration panel.

That’s probably because whether Guerrero wins or loses, the Blue Jays slugger stands to set a record for the highest salary ever awarded in arbitration.

Guerrero has asked for $19.9 million and been offered $18.05 million, meaning he’s guaranteed to top the $14 million former Toronto teammate Teoscar Hernández received from Seattle after Hernández lost his hearing last year.

“I feel very happy,” Guerrero said through a translator in an interview to promote his appearance on the cover of the 2024 edition of the video game MLB The Show.

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“I feel even more happy because he’s my good friend, and now I can give him a hard time about it,” Guerrero said.

Guerrero and Hernández were Blue Jays teammates for four seasons, reaching the playoffs together in 2020 and 2022.

A three-time All-Star and the reigning Home Run Derby champion, Guerrero said he’s made some minor mechanical adjustments to his swing this offseason after a second straight year of declining productivity. He set career-highs with 48 home runs and 111 RBIs in 2021, then followed up with 32 homers and 97 RBIs in 2022. Guerrero had 26 homers and 94 last season.

“I improved my mechanics to have as little movement as possible,” Guerrero said. “To the naked eye, you might not even notice. I can tell the difference because I can feel it.”

Toronto earned its second straight wild card and third in four seasons but did not win a game in any of those October appearances. Toronto scored just one run in a two-game sweep at Minnesota, extending a playoff drought that dates to 2016, when the Blue Jays lost 4-1 to Cleveland in the AL Championship Series.

After missing out on Shohei Ohtani, the Blue Jays have been quiet so far this offseason, adding former Gold Glove winners in outfielder Kevin Kiermaier and infielder/outfielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa. The Blue Jays also reportedly reached an agreement on a deal with infielder Justin Turner.

“I’m happy with the team,” Guerrero said. “I’m concentrating more on my game and making sure I’m putting my best foot forward.”

Toronto had made bigger changes in its coaching ranks, moving Don Mattingly from bench coach to offensive coordinator, hiring Carlos Febles as third base coach and DeMarlo Hale as associate manager, and promoting Matt Hague from Triple-A Buffalo to serve as assistant hitting coach.

Guerrero said he has high hopes for a bounce-back season from right-hander Alek Manoah. The 2022 AL Cy Young Award finalist was demoted to the rookie-level Florida Complex League last June after going 1-7 with a 6.36 ERA. Manoah went 2-2 with a 4.91 ERA in seven starts after rejoining the big league roster in July, then didn’t pitch again at any level after being optioned to Triple-A in August.

“I’m excited for his return,” Guerrero said. “Obviously he’s had his lows and his highs as a pitcher but he’s always giving it his all, and I really like that about him.”

After Toronto’s playoff exit last October, general manager Ross Atkins said Manoah had received an injection to relieve discomfort in his shoulder, and that multiple tests had revealed no structural damage.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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Rickey Hill ‘completely blown away’ by popularity of biopic on Netflix

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Rickey Hill’s phone hasn’t blown up like this in, well … ever. But he doesn’t mind too much.

All the calls — hundreds per day, he estimates — plus a bunch of accompanying texts, come with varying shades of friendly sentiment, because it’s hard to be unkind to a guy whose feel-good story was the basis for a movie currently hitting surprisingly spectacular popularity.

“The Hill,” released in theaters last year to a moderate response, has surged to a triumphant second inning since being brought to Netflix earlier this month. The film, starring Dennis Quaid, tells the uplifting tale of former baseball pro Hill, now 66, and how he remarkably overcame a degenerative hereditary spine disease to accomplish his dream of a career on the diamond.

“I’ve even been getting calls from some ladies asking if I’m (still) married,” Hill said with a laugh during one of two long phone conversations with FOX Sports Insider on Monday. (For the record, he isn’t, and he’s not looking too hard.) 

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“But I have been completely blown away by the whole thing,” he continued. “I am in total shock, to be honest. Ever since the movie hit Netflix, it has been out of control to see how much interest is there. I can’t believe it — but I’m starting to believe it.”

Hill, who has lived in Fort Worth, Texas, for the past decade, has watched the movie 25 times on account of various friends and family members wishing to enjoy a viewing in his company. He already had a pretty good idea of how the finished product was going to look, after spending most filming days on set in Georgia to offer advice to cast members such as Quaid and Colin Ford, as well as director Jeff Celentano.

Part of the movie’s appeal is that it is a rare sports film where the chief character’s tale is largely unknown, with Hill’s career taking place during the 1970s and stalling after a devastating injury while playing in the minor leagues.

Rickey Hill, shown signing baseballs for fans, says “it has been out of control to see how much interest” there is in his story. (Photo courtesy of Ron Gourley) –> <!–>

First things first, however, and the unanimous thing that every film-watcher is left wondering after completing the biopic is centered on what life holds in store for Hill these days.

Just before the final credits roll, the epilogue states Hill was a golf instructor and Little League coach in the Fort Worth area. However, his current status is somewhat different.

Hill has found success as a financial planner, has investment interests in a pair of coal mines, and is in increasingly high demand as a jovial and entertaining motivational speaker. His golfing activities are mostly restricted to recreational rounds and charity appearances, when the daily pain caused by his spinal condition allows.

“I live with pain all the time,” he said. “It is just part of my life and always has been. I’m used to it, and I don’t let it bother me too much. It is an old friend.”

[Reuniting Rickey Hill with his ring, 37 years later]

Hill has undergone multiple surgeries since childhood and currently has screws, a steel rod and “cage” contraptions inserted into his back. As depicted on screen, he had his legs in braces for years as a kid, yet developed a powerful and accurate swing by taking cuts with a makeshift bat and hitting rocks from a bucket for hours per day.

Currently, he can’t launch into a full and unrestricted golf swing, but is hoping his condition holds out for long enough to allow him to participate in some events on an upcoming celebrity links tour.

Picking up where the film left off, Hill played six years in pro ball, not four as the epilogue suggested. He spent time in the Montreal Expos farm system from 1975 onward and was playing for the Grays Harbor Loggers (search the Loggers and Bill Murray for an awesome tangent), a co-op team affiliated with the San Diego Padres system in 1979, when his body finally failed him.

Hill believes he was close to a major-league opportunity at the time, but slid headfirst into second base during a game, and, as he puts it, “never got up,” suffering from temporary paralysis due to spinal damage.

Grueling rehabilitation followed for more than a year, and his baseball days, which had taken him to offseason leagues in Venezuela, Mexico, Italy, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and several levels of the North American minors, were over.

Thankfully, for those who enjoyed his story, which spent several days as Netflix’s No. 1 most-watched movie and sat in the 2-spot as of Monday night, the interpretation of his tale has not suffered at the hands of overzealous Hollywoodization. Hill was appreciative of the efforts of director Celentano to keep the story authentic and with minimal embellishment in the name of commercial appeal.

“I am very happy with the job they did,” Hill said. “What you see, that’s how it was, and maybe that comes through and is why people like it. I feel very fortunate to have had the life I’ve had. The film has a lot of elements, and it shows family values in a poor family. We have a lot of murder and nonsense on television these days. This is just something real.”

One small modification was made to alter Hill’s now-ex-wife’s name.

Hill talks with friend and Los Angeles Angels infield coach Benji Gil in 2023. (Photo courtesy Ron Gourley) –> <!–>

The plot initially came from a short story about Rickey, written by his brother in the 1970s, and at that time made its way to various studio script evaluators. However, Rickey Hill resisted involvement in a movie project for years, fearful it might be an unwelcome intrusion while his elderly parents were both battling illness.

He changed his stance around two decades ago, and the rest is a slightly unexpected slice of sports movie history. 

“The Hill” garnered some attention when it first came out, but the timing was poor — the writers’ strike meant Quaid was prohibited from doing any publicity for the movie.

The power of streaming, however, meant the last few weeks have been a whirlwind.

“It has been overwhelming for him at points but also uplifting,” said Texas businessman Ron Gourley, Hill’s close friend for the past 36 years. “I think it is hard for him to get his head around the number of people who have watched the movie and the attention and credit he is getting at last. But make no mistake, he deserves every bit of it.”

Hill, with longtime friend Ron Gourley in San Diego, no longer plays as much golf as he used to, because of his spinal condition. (Photo courtesy Ron Gourley) –> <!–>

Hill can almost recite the movie word for word at this point, but is looking forward to a few more viewings in the company of those close to him.

“I can see that it’s a good story, but it is strange for me to look at it that way,” he said. “To me, it is just my life, just how it is.”

Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports and the author of the FOX Sports Insider newsletter. Follow him on Twitter @MRogersFOX and subscribe to the daily newsletter.

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Mariners get Jorge Polanco from Twins in trade for Anthony DeSclafani, Justin Topa and prospects

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The Seattle Mariners acquired second baseman Jorge Polanco from the Minnesota Twins on Monday for pitchers Anthony DeSclafani and Justin Topa, two minor leaguers and cash.

The prospects going to the Twins are outfielder Gabriel Gonzalez and pitcher Darren Bowen.

The 33-year-old DeSclafani was traded to the Mariners earlier this month from San Francisco. He had a 4.88 ERA for the Giants last season while making 18 starts.

The right-handed Topa had a 2.61 ERA in 75 relief appearances as a rookie for the Mariners in 2023.

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The 30-year-old Polanco became expendable with the emergence last season of rookie Edouard Julien for the Twins, who are trimming their club-record payroll from 2023 in light of the uncertainty around their regional broadcast revenue. Polanco will make $10.5 million this season, and his contract has a $12 million club option for 2025 with a $750,000 buyout.

Polanco came back from a knee injury to hit .255 with 14 home runs and a .789 OPS in 80 games for the Twins in 2023 while playing some second base and moving to third base to accommodate Julien. Polanco has the most home runs (112) by a switch-hitter in Twins history.

Polanco signed with the Twins out of the Dominican Republic in 2009, made his major league debut in 2014, became their regular shortstop in 2016 and ultimately moved to second base in 2021. Ankle and knee problems limited him in recent years, but when he stayed healthy he thrived at the plate. Polanco made the AL All-Star team in 2019 while hitting a career-high .295 in 153 games. In 2021, he hit 33 homers with 98 RBIs — both career highs — in 152 games.

He’s a .269 career hitter with a .780 OPS in 832 games.

Seattle was set to go into the season with Josh Rojas as its likely primary second baseman after he was acquired last summer from Arizona. Rojas hit .272 in 46 games at the plate and made 38 starts at second base after coming to the Mariners.

The acquisition of Polanco could put Rojas in more of a utility role. He’s played shortstop, third base and both corner outfield positions when he was previously with the Diamondbacks.

DeSclafani was thought to be an option at the back end of Seattle’s rotation for the upcoming season. He’s made just 23 starts combined the past two seasons after having a career-best year in 2021 when he went 13-7 with a 3.17 ERA in 31 starts for San Francisco.

The right-hander makes $12 million this year in the final season of a $36 million, three-year deal.

The loss of Topa will be a hit to the Mariners as he was one of their most consistent arms out of the bullpen. Topa struck out 61 batters in 69 innings and had a stretch of two months last summer in which he allowed one earned run over 27 appearances.

Gonzalez was regarded as one of the top prospects in the Mariners organization after hitting a combined .298 with 18 homers and 84 RBIs for two Class-A clubs last season at age 19.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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