Legendary Philadelphia sports columnist Bill Conlin has resigned from the Philadelphia Daily News in the wake of a story by Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Nancy Phillips that accuses him of sexual molestation/abuse of children.

Per Deadspin:

The Philadelphia Inquirer’s top investigative reporter, Nancy Phillips, has written a story containing what we’re told are allegations of child molestation against sportswriter Bill Conlin, a longtime columnist at the rival Daily News. Conlin resigned just moments ago, according to a source at the Daily News.

The Jerry Sandusky case has been horrific, but all of the alleged victims coming forward in relation to Sandusky, Bobby Dodd, Bernie Fine, and now Bill Conlin is proof that one’s courage can be contagious to others.

Conlin is a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America and won the J.G. Taylor Sprink Award earlier this year.

The New York Post is reporting that legendary New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter sends off his one-night stands with an autographed baseball…signed by himself of course.

“Derek has girls stay with him at his apartment in New York, and then he gets them a car to take them home the next day. Waiting in his car is a gift basket containing signed Jeter memorabilia, usually a signed baseball,” the friend dished.

All was well with Jeter’s partying gifts until he accidentally hooked up with the same girl twice, he had forgotten a prior tryst, when she was given a second gift set, complete with another Jeter autographed baseball.

An autographed Jeter baseball can fetch north of $500 dollars.

Legit parting gift of disguised prostitution?

Jeter recently broke up with actress Minka Kelly.

Albert Pujols donning his new Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim uniform at a press conference to announce his joining the team on December 10, 2011 in Anaheim.

[image: MLB Twitter]

To affirm the results and strengthen its case, MLB asked the World Anti-Doping Agency lab in Montreal, which conducts its testing, to perform a secondary test to determine whether the testosterone spike resulted from natural variations within Braun’s body or from an artificial source. The test indicated the testosterone was exogenous, meaning it came from outside his body.

Braun is denying the positive test and appealing the finding.

A spokesman for Braun confirmed the positive test Saturday and issued a statement: “There are highly unusual circumstances surrounding this case which will support Ryan’s complete innocence and demonstrate there was absolutely no intentional violation of the program. While Ryan has impeccable character and no previous history, unfortunately, because of the process we have to maintain confidentiality and are not able to discuss it any further, but we are confident he will ultimately be exonerated.”

The benefit of doubt no longer goes to the player after what we all witnessed and experienced during the steroid era of baseball.

St. Louis Cardinals free agent first baseman Albert Pujols has signed with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for a record 10 years at $250-$260 million dollars according to reports.

The Cardinals had planned to talk with Pujols’ agent one more time Thursday before heading home. But sources told Olney that the Cardinals’ latest offer was for nine years and a little less than $200 million. That would have made him the fourth-highest paid first baseman. With the Angels deal, he is tops.

On Tuesday, many pundits believed that Pujols was close to signing with the Miami Marlins who had already signed all-star Jose Reyes and others.

Pujols was NL Rookie of the Year in 2001 and a 9x All-Star in his 11-year career with the St. Louis Cardinals.  He won two World Series Championships while in St. Louis.

He will be 41-years old at the end of the contract which includes a full no-trade clause.

Legendary St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa shocked the baseball world moments ago by announcing his retirement from the game.

Perhaps his best managerial job was this year with the Cardinals coming from 10.5 games back in August to win the Wild Card, NL Pennant, and World Series upsetting the Phillies, Brewers, and Rangers along the way.

La Russa, who is 67-years old, just said it was time:

“There isn’t one [factor] that dominates [my decision],” La Russa said. “They all just come together telling you your time is over.

La Russa won six pennants, three world series, and the third (just 35 behind John McGraw for second) most games by any manger in his Hall-of-Fame career.

He is the Cardinals most winningest manager.

Best of luck to Tony and thanks for all of the memories!

[La Russa will be on The Late Show with David Letterman tonight.]

Berkman has rejuvenated his career in St. Louis and to-date is batting .300 with 31 home runs and 91 RBI’s.

If the Cardinals can’t resign Albert Pujols in the off-season then Berkman will replace him at first.  If Pujols is back then Berkman will be back in right field.

Read More on Berkman’s Contract Extension

Actor Brad Pitt, who stars in the new movie Moneyball as Billy Beane, is on the cover of the September 26, 2011 issue of Sports Illustrated sporting an Oakland A’s hat.

Moneyball Movie Summary:

Billy Beane was once a would-be baseball superstar who, stung by the failure to live up to expectations on the field, turned his fiercely competitive nature to management. Heading into the 2002 season, Billy faces a dismal situation: his small-market Oakland A’s have lost their star players (again) to big market clubs (and their enormous salaries) and is left to rebuild his team and compete with a third of their payroll. Driven to win, Billy takes on the system by challenging the fundamental tenants of the game. He looks outside of baseball, to the dismissed theories of Bill James, and hires Peter Brand, a brainy, number-crunching, Yale-educated economist. Together they take on conventional wisdom with a willingness to reexamine everything and armed with computer driven statistical analysis long ignored by the baseball establishment. They reach imagination-defying conclusions and go after players overlooked and dismissed by the rest of baseball for being too odd, too old, too injured or too much trouble, but who all have key skills that are universally undervalued. As Billy and Peter forge forward, their new methods and roster of misfits rile the old guard, the media, the fans, and their own field manager, who refuses to cooperate. Ultimately this experiment will lead not only to a change in the way the game is played, but to an outcome that would leave Billy with a new understanding that transcends the game and delivers him to a new place.

SI obviously capitalizing on Pitt’s sex appeal and movie star power, by putting him on the cover, to help sell a few thousand more issues of the magazine.

Will the movie be a hit or flop?  Often when a movie’s description is longer than two sentences it’s a flop, but perhaps Pitt can sell this film to moviegoers.

Manny Ramirez was arrested for domestic abuse earlier tonight at his Weston, Florida house after his wife, Juliana, called police after hitting her head on the headboard of their bed.

Police said Ramirez was arguing with his wife when he slapped her, at which point she hit her head on the headboard of their bed. Ramirez’s wife then phoned the cops because she feared the situation might escalate, the AP writes.

Ramirez apparently said he did not hit his wife, and that her injuries came from her hitting her head “after he ’shrugged’ her.”

Manny being Manny doesn’t cut it when it comes to beating women up. If he did in fact rough her up by slapping her, causing her to bang her head on the headboard, then he should have to face the consequences.

Thome became the first player of the club to have zero at bats in between HR #599 and HR #600.

Home run #600 came off of the Detroit Tigers RP Daniel Schlereth (son of NFL great Mark Schlereth).

List of 600 Home Run Club Members

Jim Thome’s Career Stats