On Friday, the team announced that the Slugger Manny Ramirez will exercise his $20 million option to return to the Los Angeles Dodgers for the 2010 season.

The deal was signed by Ramirez last off season that guaranteed him $25 million for 2009 and a player option for 2010, had until Tuesday to notify the club.

Last season, the 37-year-old batted .290 with 19 home runs and 63 RBIs, but was hit with a 50-game suspension by Major League Baseball for testing positive for a banned substance.

After returning from the early season suspension, Ramirez failed to regain top form.

According to Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti, there was no doubt he had his struggles this past season.

(Source: http://www.reuters.com)

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On Wednesday, Kobe Bryant scored 41 points in order to guide the Los Angeles Lakers to a 103-102 overtime victory over the Houston Rockets.

Three successive free throws were made by Andrew Bynum for the NBA champion Lakers in the extra session, including one that broke a 102-102 tie with 24 seconds remaining.

Bynum finished with 17 points and 17 rebounds while the balanced Rockets had six players scoring 10 or more points, with Carl Landry leading the home team with 20.

Ron Artest, a former Rockets’ forward, scored a three-pointer that put the Lakers 92-89 up with 30 seconds remaining before Houston’s Trevor Ariza, who helped the Lakers to last season’s NBA title, answered with his own three-pointer to force overtime.

NBA, NBA Title, Champion Lakers, Kobe Bryant

(Source: http://www.reuters.com)

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Paul Pierce had 21 points and eight rebounds, while key reserve Rasheed Wallace made six three-pointers in his 20-point effort as the Celtics outscored the home team 61-38 in the second half to improve to 5-0.

The Celtics has not conceded more than 90 points this year, held the 76ers to just 36 percent in shooting from the field.

Andre Iguodala shot 17 points for Philadelphia, who dropped to 2-2 on the season.

In the third quarter, the Celtics raced to a 58-38 lead and kept the 76ers at bay, making 57 percent of their shots from the field, including 14-for-20 from the three-point line.

Eddie House made four three-pointers off the bench for 12 points, while Wallace, the seven-footer signed by the Celtics in the off-season, was dominant from the perimeter.

Point guard Rajon Rondo finished with 11 points and five assists in his first game since signing a five-year extension with Boston on Monday.

Philadelphia point guard Lou Williams, who has taken over the starting spot after Andre Miller’s departure to the Portland Trail Blazers, entered the night averaging 20 points and shooting 63 percent but managed just seven on 3-for-10 shooting.

(Source: http://www.reuters.com)

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On Monday, the Philadelphia Phillies has beaten the New York Yankees 8-6 by keeping their championship hopes alive, to force a sixth game in the best-of-seven World Series.

Supporting the pitching of Cliff Lee, Chase Utley belted the two home runs with the same combination that produced victory in last week’s Fall Classic opener.

In the last two innings, New York fightback produced four runs, falling short as Phillies reliever Ryan Madson struck out Mark Teixeira, representing the tying run, to end it.

In the first inning, Utley blasted a three-run homer and a solo shot in the seventh, giving him a total of five round-trippers in the championship showdown to tie the Series record set by Reggie Jackson for the Yankees in 1977.

The Phillies charged out to an early 6-1 lead, following Utley’s first-inning contribution with another three-run burst in the third against New York starter and loser A.J. Burnett.

The New York Yankees has scored one run in the first, added another in the fifth but looked beaten after Utley and Raul Ibanez connected for solo homers in the seventh off reliever Phil Coke to push Philadelphia’s lead to 8-2.

Finally, New York knocked Lee out of the game in the eighth with a three-run rally keyed by a two-run double from Alex Rodriguez.

Phillies reliever Park Chan-ho closed the door on New York to end the eighth and gave way to Madson for the ninth.

Jorge Posada doubled high off the wall in right to lead off the final frame for the Yanks and went to third on a pinch-hit single by Hideki Matsui.

The series goes back to New York for Game Six.

Philadelphia will send Pedro Martinez to the mound in another elimination game, while the Yankees are leaning toward starting Game Three winner Andy Pettitte on three days’ rest needing one victory to claim their 27th World Series crown.

(Source: http://www.reuters.com)

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On Wednesday, Lee shut the Yankees down in the opener, but the lefty is not used to pitching on three days’ rest and manager Charlie Manuel said he preferred to see him return to the mound for Game Five on Monday.

In New York, the series tied at 1-1 after two games, resumes on Saturday at Citizens Bank Park for the first of three games in Philadelphia.

Last year’s World Series MVP for the Phillies, Cole Hamels starts for the home team against New York’s Andy Pettitte, whose 16 wins top the all-time list for postseason victories.

Meanwhile, the Yankees have not ruled out the possibility of using Game One starter CC Sabathia on Sunday and to get two more starts on Thursday from the big left-hander if the best-of-seven Fall Classic goes the distance.

According to Phillies manager Manuel, Lee had never pitched on three days’ rest but said he might be able to use Lee in relief in a Game Seven.

This season, Blanton was 12-8 with a 4.05 earned run average. In the National League Championship Series, he gave up the four runs against the Los Angeles Dodgers in six innings.

According to New York manager Joe Girardi, he was also contemplating a quick return for A.J. Burnett, who won Thursday’s game 3-1.

(Source: http://www.reuters.com)

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