AP Source: MLB threatening A-Rod with lifetime ban

NEW YORK (AP) ? Alex Rodriguez might not make it back to the Yankees this year. Or ever.

Major League Baseball is threatening to kick A-Rod out of the game for life unless the New York star agrees not to fight a lengthy suspension for his role in the sport's latest drug scandal, according to a person familiar with the discussions.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday on condition of anonymity because no statements were authorized.

Whether Commissioner Bud Selig would actually issue a lifetime suspension was unclear and a permanent ban could be shortened by arbitrator Fredric Horowitz to about 200 games, the person said.

The number of players likely to be disciplined stood at 14 Wednesday.

Front and center is Rodriguez, baseball's highest-paid player and the most prominent one linked in media reports over the past seven months to Biogenesis of America, a closed Florida anti-aging clinic that allegedly distributed banned performance-enhancing drugs.

The Yankees expected Rodriguez to be accused of recruiting other athletes for the clinic, attempting to obstruct MLB's investigation, and not being truthful with MLB in the past. Baseball has considered suspending him for violations of its labor contract and drug agreement.

Even if he is banned from baseball, there is precedent for a shortened penalty: When pitcher Steve Howe was given a lifetime ban in 1992 in his seventh suspension for drug or alcohol use, an arbitrator reduced the penalty to 119 days.

A three-time MVP, Rodriguez acknowledged four years ago that he used performance-enhancing substances while with Texas from 2001-03, but repeatedly has denied using them since.

He's been sidelined all season since hip surgery in January and then a quadriceps strain during a minor league rehabilitation assignment in July. The Yankees say he'll start another rehab Friday ? Double-A Trenton appeared to be the likely destination.

"Hopefully Alex will be back shortly thereafter," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said.

Rodriguez didn't stop to talk with reporters after his workout Wednesday at the team's minor league complex in Tampa, Fla.

At first, MLB and the union thought talks on the Biogenesis probe could be completed by Friday, but negotiations to avoid grievances are likely to push back announcements until at least Saturday or Sunday.

Others accused in media reports of receiving performance-enhancing drugs from Biogenesis include a trio of 2013 All-Stars: Texas outfielder Nelson Cruz, San Diego shortstop Everth Cabrera and Detroit shortstop Jhonny Peralta.

Most of the players face 50-game bans as first offenders. Both sides felt an urgency to complete the process because by the middle of next week, teams will have fewer than 50 games left. And that would force players to complete suspensions during the playoffs or at the start of next season.

Detroit general manager Dave Dombrowski protected against a possible suspension of Peralta by acquiring slick-fielding infielder Jose Iglesias from Boston in a three-team trade Tuesday night.

"If it were a 15-day thing, like a typical injury, I think we could have comfortably dealt with it with the players we already have," Dombrowski said Wednesday. "But when you start to talk about 50 days and a possible playoff run, we feel better going ahead with Jose."

While MLB told the union which players it intends to suspend, it hasn't issued formal notices of discipline. Because of that, the countdown hasn't started under baseball's Joint Drug Agreement, which says the suspensions are effective on the third business day after the notice is issued.

The sides also haven't decided whether suspensions for first-time offenders who challenge the penalty can be announced before an arbitration decision.

If some stars knew their seasons were about to be cut short, they weren't letting on Wednesday, at least publicly.

"I can't talk about nothing right now. Just wait for the news," Cabrera said Wednesday before playing against Cincinnati.

Peralta thinks he shouldn't be on the list of players linked to Biogenesis.

"It's wrong," he said. "But whatever happens, I need to fight and try to move on."

Toronto outfielder Melky Cabrera, Oakland pitcher Bartolo Colon and San Diego catcher Yasmani Grandal all were suspended for 50 games last year for positive tests for elevated testosterone. MLB informed the union they won't receive additional discipline for that violation, two people familiar with the probe said. They also spoke on condition of anonymity because no statements were authorized.

"Nothing's been told to me," Melky Cabrera said. "I served my suspension last year, but MLB has never told me that it's OK now. I'm seeing it in the press, but I don't know."

Texas was unable to find a replacement bat to fill the void a suspension of Cruz would create.

"I don't think anybody's comfortable losing a significant part of your club, but it's out of our control," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said. "We explored some deal like that. They just didn't come to a head. It wasn't for lack of interest or lack of effort. It was more lack of supply and lack of fit, really."

___

AP Baseball Writer Janie McCauley, AP Sports Writers Stephen Hawkins, Larry Lage and Bernie Wilson, and AP freelance writer Mark Didlter contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-source-mlb-threatening-rod-lifetime-ban-002848928.html

walking dead The Pope the Grammys 2013 State of the Union 2013 katy perry Rihanna Katy Perry Grammys 2013

An iPhone in Different Colors Looks Fantastically Fun

I've never wanted an iPhone in different colors. Black with a tint of gloss or white with a silver lining has always been plenty enough. But then I saw these renders of what an iPhone in different colors would look like and man, a red iPhone looks like so much fun. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/3mABFItcJc4/an-iphone-in-different-colors-looks-fantastically-fun

jon hamm kim kardashian law school rankings jon hamm heather morris ncaa bracket predictions jeff foxworthy the bachelor finale

Hagel, Karzai seek deal on detainees within 1 week (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/291732584?client_source=feed&format=rss

dwight howard Olympics closing ceremony PGA Championship 2012 John Witherspoon george michael usain bolt Closing Ceremony London 2012

U.S. House Democrat wants lethal aid for Syria rebels

By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The senior Democrat on the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee is pushing President Barack Obama's administration to train and arm some Syrian rebels, in addition to providing humanitarian assistance.

Representative Eliot Engel will introduce a bill on Monday that would authorize Washington to provide assistance "including limited lethal equipment" to carefully vetted members of the Syrian opposition, aides and activists aware of Engel's plans said on Sunday.

Washington has pledged non-lethal aid to Syria's rebels, but Obama has so far refused to give them arms, arguing that it is difficult to prevent the weapons from falling into the hands of militants who could use them against Western targets.

The push by Engel, a New York Democrat, which comes days before Obama is due to visit the Middle East, could strengthen the resolve of some U.S. legislators to do more to end the bloodshed in Syria.

A handful of Republican legislators, including Senators John McCain and Marco Rubio, have been pressing for various forms of U.S. military aid to the rebels.

The European Union also has been debating what aid is appropriate for the Syrian opposition. Other EU governments rebuffed efforts by France and Britain on Friday to lift an arms embargo to help opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, although they asked foreign ministers to discuss it again this week.

Engel sent a "Dear Colleague" letter on Friday to members of the foreign affairs committee seeking support for the bill and citing the estimated 70,000 Syrians who have died, 1 million refugees and 2.5 million people internally displaced since the rebellion against Assad began two years ago.

"It is time for us to develop a comprehensive approach to stopping the carnage," Engel said in the letter.

Although he acknowledged there are risks to arming the rebels, Engel said providing military aid to Syria's opposition would bring the humanitarian disaster to an end and help ensure that the United States has a constructive relationship with Syria's new government after the end of Assad's rule.

Engel's legislation would also authorize the administration to increase humanitarian assistance to Syrians affected by the two-year-long civil war and begin planning for the country's future after Assad.

Backing the Syrian opposition is increasingly seen as the only leverage that foreign powers have in trying to support the uprising against Assad.

(Editing by Christopher Wilson)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-house-democrat-wants-lethal-aid-syria-rebels-231126785.html

stevie wonder new orleans weather new orleans weather sparkle sacagawea new hope baptist church associated press

Phoenix-bound dog ends up on flight to Ireland

PHOENIX (AP) ? An English Springer Spaniel named Hendrix ended up taking a serious detour on his way from New Jersey to Phoenix this week.

He ended up in Ireland after being put on the wrong flight.

United Airlines spokeswoman Megan McCarthy says the 6-year-old dog was traveling in cargo Thursday when the mix-up happened. When the error was realized, she says the airline took immediate steps to get Hendrix back to his owner.

Phoenix television station KNXV reports (http://bit.ly/YyMVte ) that the first word owner Meredith Grant got about the mix-up was in a phone call from the airline before Hendrix's original flight was supposed to land in Phoenix.

Grant says she felt like someone punched her in the stomach after finding out her dog had been sent overseas.

Hendrix was returned, and the airline apologized and offered a full refund.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/phoenix-bound-dog-ends-flight-ireland-191315087.html

meryl streep martin scorsese sacha baron cohen best picture nominees 2012 academy awards 2012 albert nobbs a star is born

Community stepping up to help hundreds of animals after pet shop ...

It?s been a chaotic 24-hours for staff at Indianapolis Animal Care and Control. Nearly 400 animals have taken over the facility after the pet shop they were living in was raided Thursday.

Bill Houston, the owner of the Fish Bowl Pet Shop, is facing 581 violations and is set to make his first court appearance next week.

?It?s kind of like what we consider a hoarder,? said Marcus Brown, Deputy Chief of Enforcement Operations for Indianapolis Animal Care and Control.

IACC employees have been working hard bringing all the animals back to health, but it?s added more work on top of their daily routine.

?It?s really put a burden on us as far as capacity,? said Brown. ?It?s put a little more stress on our employees.?

A small alligator is the new guest now living in Brown?s office. Two 12-week-old puppies are also spending the night at a staff member?s home.

Employees stayed up late Thursday night cleaning cages and aquariums of lizards, snakes, hamsters, mice and birds. One of the two cockatoos was found with untrimmed nails.

?His claws were so overgrown, they had actually curled back into his skin,? said Brown.

Petco stopped by to donate food, cages, aquariums and more supplies Friday afternoon. Brown said the facility could always use more.

?If your tanks are lying around empty, you don?t want them and you can?t sell them, bring them in to us,? said Brown.

Brown is still concerned about the health of dozens of lizards. A reptile expert is coming in next Monday to check on dozens that look underweight. Brown found one aquarium that housed nearly 60 lizards alone ? six of them were dead inside.

?I would think that someone with 45 years of being open would know better,? said Brown.

IACC will be taking care of all the animals until a judge makes a decision next week.

Source: http://fox59.com/2013/03/15/community-stepping-up-to-help-hundreds-of-animals-after-pet-shop-raid/

multiple sclerosis falling skies rodney king Webb Simpson Fathers Day Quotes Stevie J mothers day 2012

Google's Schmidt to visit Myanmar, an untapped telecoms market

By Aung Hla Tun

YANGON (Reuters) - Google Inc Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt, who visited North Korea in January, will become the first high-profile tech company executive to visit Myanmar in the wake of reforms that prompted Western nations to ease sanctions following decades of military dictatorship.

The visit next week to Myanmar, where Schmidt will speak at a technology and communications park and meet with government officials, is just one stop in a multi-country Asian tour to promote Internet access, according to Google.

Since Myanmar's military stepped aside and a quasi-civilian government was installed in 2011, setting off a wave of political and economic reforms, the country has enjoyed a surge of interest from overseas businesses.

The former Burma is the last virgin territory for businesses in Asia, with untapped markets including the telecoms sector: mobile penetration in the country of 60 million is estimated to be a meager 5-10 percent.

Unlike Schmidt's controversial visit to Pyongyang, in which Google described as a "personal" trip, the visit to Myanmar falls within his mandate as executive chairman, which involves government outreach, thought leadership and building partnerships and business relationships, the company said.

But Schmidt, who was Google's chief executive from 2001 to 2011, is becoming more visible on issues involving technology and world affairs.

His book, "The New Digital Age", due to hit bookshelves in April, was co-authored with Google Ideas chief Jared Cohen, who had previously worked at the U.S. State Department.

According to an early review in The Wall Street Journal, the authors criticize China for being an enthusiastic "filterer of information" and a "prolific" hacker of foreign companies. During Schmidt's tenure as Google's chief, the company famously pulled out of China after a dispute over censorship and hacking.

"Eric (Schmidt) is visiting several countries in Asia to connect with local partners and Googlers who are working to improve the lives of many millions of people across the region by helping them get online and access the world's information for the first time in the next few years," Google said in a statement. His trip also includes India.

In November, Schmidt visited Seoul, Taipei and Beijing.

WHISTLE-STOP

The Myanmar trip will be Schmidt's second visit this year to a country off the beaten track. In January he went to North Korea, saying it was a personal trip to talk about a free and open Internet.

Schmidt is due to give a speech at the Myanmar Information and Communication Technology Park in Yangon on March 22, before making his way to the capital, Naypyitaw, to meet senior government officials, said Zaw Min Oo, secretary general of the Myanmar Computer Society.

"There will be an audience of about 400, comprising entrepreneurs, executive committee members of the computer association and young leaders," Zaw Min Oo told Reuters, referring to the speech.

Myanmar's planned modernization of telecoms infrastructure and expected boom in mobile phone usage will pave the way for the entry of companies such as Google, which could profit greatly through sales of cheap smartphones built around its Android platform.

In February the U.S. Treasury Department issued a general license for four of Myanmar's biggest banks, two of which are owned by tycoons associated with the former junta, before a visit by 50 U.S. executives that month to explore opportunities.

The delegation, led by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and including Cisco Systems Inc, Google, Hewlett-Packard Co, Intel Corp, and Microsoft Corp, visited Myanmar to look into projects to boost access to the Internet, strengthen transparent government and expand digital literacy, according to a USAID statement.

Many leading firms in Myanmar are still largely controlled by businessmen subject to sanctions, but Western companies are starting to move in after the implementation of a new foreign investment law.

Myanmar is offering two operating licenses for companies to build new telecoms infrastructure.

MTN Group, Africa's largest mobile phone company, which is bidding for a license, has said around 90 companies have expressed interest.

(Additional reporting by Jeremy Wagstaff in Singapore and Alexei Oreskovic in San Francisco; Writing by Paul Carsten in Bangkok; Editing by Alan Raybould, Pravin Char and Richard Chang)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/googles-schmidt-visit-myanmar-untapped-telecoms-market-125829184--finance.html

kate upton si cover lobster recipes hearts roses flower delivery e cards kate upton sports illustrated