Nolan Ryan taken to hospital with undisclosed condition
Hall of Fame righthander Nolan Ryan was taken to the hospital yesterday and was in good condition with an undisclosed ailment, his son said.
Hall of Fame righthander Nolan Ryan was taken to the hospital yesterday and was in good condition with an undisclosed ailment, his son said.
Baseball's all-time strikeout king, who turns 60 Wednesday, checked into Round Rock (Texas) Medical Center for treatment of recurring symptoms from a pre-existing medical condition, Reid Ryan said.
Reid Ryan declined to specify the condition, but said it was discovered when his father had double-bypass heart surgery in 2000.
"This is something I've lived with for the last 7 years," Nolan Ryan said in a statement.
His son said it was not an emergency.
"He takes medication for it," Reid Ryan said. "From time to time, he has episodes that require him to get checked out when he has pain or something. He's feeling good. This is more about taking precautions."
Ryan was to be transferred to a Houston hospital for further evaluation, said a spokesman for the Round Rock Express, one of the minor league teams the former pitcher owns.
Ryan struck out 5,714 and pitched seven no-hitters - both major league records - in 27 years with the New York Mets, the California Angels, the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers.
He retired in 1993 and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1999.
Ryan is a majority owner of Triple A Round Rock and the Double A Corpus Christi Hooks, both affiliates of the Astros.
Noteworthy
* J.D. Drew didn't let the fact that he was, technically, an unsigned free agent for the last 7 weeks get in the way of his preparations for the season.
"We've continued right on schedule with everything you'd normally do as far as the offseason routine goes," he said yesterday after his long-ago agreed-to deal with the Boston Red Sox was finally announced. "It hasn't been bad at all."
The 5-year, $70 million agreement was reached on Dec. 5 but not finished until the lawyers worked out an arrangement that would allow the Red Sox to opt out of the guaranteed money for 2010 and 2011 if Drew's right shoulder injury recurs. Drew had surgery on the shoulder in September 2005, and the Red Sox wanted to make sure that they wouldn't be responsible for all of the money if he was damaged goods.
* Former Phillies reliever Arthur Rhodes agreed to a a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners.
The lefthander would get a $1 million, 1-year contract if added to the major league roster and would have the chance to earn $150,000 more in performance bonuses. He struggled last year with the Phillies, going 0-5 with a 5.32 ERA in 55 games. He missed the final 3 weeks of the season with an injured pitching elbow.
Meanwhile, righthander Jeff Weaver and the Mariners have just about finalized a 1-year contract worth $8,325,000 - the same salary he had last year.
Only minor details remain for the deal to be worked out, a person familiar with the negotiations said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deal had not yet been completed.
Weaver, 30, who helped the St. Louis Cardinals win their first World Series title since 1982, probably will take a physical early next week.
* New York Mets general manager Omar Minaya will be among a delegation of baseball officials going to Accra, Ghana, next week to hold a clinic and promote baseball.
Hall of Famer Dave Winfield, former San Francisco and Chicago Cubs manager Dusty Baker also will be on the trip along with Dave Stewart, Bob Watson and Reggie Smith, Minaya said yesterday. The group is scheduled to leave New York on Feb. 1, spend 4 days in Ghana and return Feb. 6.
* Miguel Cairo's $750,000, 1-year contract with the New York Yankees was completed. The 32-year-old infielder hit .239 with 30 RBI in 222 at-bats for the Yankees last year, appearing in 81 games. He started 57 games: 36 at second, 10 at shortstop, six at first base, four at third and one in leftfield. *