Armando Benitez

Former big league closer Armando Benitez and the Houston Astros have agreed to a minor league contract. The 36-year-old Benitez, a major league All-Star in 2003 and 2004, was pitching for the Newark Bears in the independent Atlantic League. He was 1-0 with 16 saves and a 2.86 ERA in 34 relief outings for a team managed by former big league star Tim Raines. Benitez, who had 43 strikeouts in 34 2-3 innings with Newark, will report to Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday. "We'll give Armando a chance to finish the season at Round Rock and then determine where we go from there," Astros ... Read Full Story

The Newark Bears continue to add former big leaguer’s to their roster. Former Yankees pitcher Shawn Chacon signed with the Bears. Word is that former Mets closer Armando Benitez isn’t far behind. The Bears roste r is full of big league talent. Carl Everett, Michael Tucker, Keith Foulke, and Alberto Castillo are just a few of the names. It was a start studded weekend at a sold out Bears & Eagles Stadium this weekend. Former US Secretary of State General Colin Powell threw out the first pitch on Saturday. Patti Labelle was also on hand to sing the National Anthem. Tino Martinez was scheduled ... Read Full Story

Last night we witnessed the complete and total meltdown of a relief pitcher. Armando Benitez, the controversial, unpredictable closer for the San Francisco Giants blew a game in a fashion so embarrassing that it hurt to watch. It reminded me of all the other horrible meltdowns in sports history, like the 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers; the Buffalo Bills in the Super Bowl and Greg Norman in big golf tournaments. If Benitez can bounce back after such a devastating collapse, God bless him. But, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if his decline rapidly gains momentum from this point on. With the Giants leading by one ... Read Full Story

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that former Mets closer Armando Benitez was returning to pitch for the Newark Bears in the independent Atlantic League. Last night Benitez returned to New York by closing out a 7-3 victory for the Bears over the Long Island Ducks. Going into today’s action Benitez has pitched in 3 games for Newark. Over three innings he has struck out 6 and held opponents to a .167 batting average. Considering his history as a closer you would have to think some major league team will take a flier on him at some point this year. Keith Foulke, another ... Read Full Story

Kyle Snyder gets the call for Boston this afternoon against Toronto. He is pitching for a spot in the bullpen, which continues to serve as a source of news and a subject for debate in Red Sox Nation. Terry Francona... Read Full Story