Major League Baseball

Last in a series on minor league call-ups who have helped fuel the Dodgers' early-season surge. The first was etched on his stomach; his surname, Sellers, emblazoned in black ink. "I thought it would mean a lot to my family," Dodgers infielder Justin Sellers says. "Just to represent, I guess. " From there they spread to the back of his neck, where a guardian angel keeps a lookout. That first tattoo was received during his senior year at Huntington Beach Marina High.

Don't break out the dreadlock wig just yet - it looks as if Manny Ramirez's debut with the Oakland Athletics will be delayed. The former Dodgers slugger probably will not make his debut with the Athletics this week even though his 50-game suspension for violating baseball's drug policy a second time officially ends following Oakland's game against Minnesota on Wednesday. Oakland assistant general manager David Frost says Ramirez will remain at the team's Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento until the club is confident he is major-league ready.

BASEBALL/SOCCER URBAN LEGEND : The first American professional soccer league championship was won by a moonlighting baseball team. While individual players had been paid for games going as far back as 1892, it was not until the early 20th Century that there was the first attempt to form an actual professional football league. The National Football League (not to be confused with the modern NFL) formed (and disbanded) in 1902. It would not be until the American Professional Football Assn.

The Dodgers' new owners could reap hundreds of millions of dollars in benefits from the confidential terms of a U.S. Bankruptcy Court settlement between former owner Frank McCourt and Major League Baseball. The terms can be enforced for up to 40 years, with final authority over distribution of the Dodgers' television revenue granted to the court rather than to MLB, according to two people familiar with the sale process but not authorized to discuss it. As a result, the Dodgers' new owners could retain millions each year that otherwise would be shared with other teams.

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels freely admits he intentionally hit Washington Nationals phenom Bryce Harper with a pitch in the first inning of Sunday night's game.  “I was trying to hit him,” Hamels said. “I'm not going to deny it.” The move -- and the blunt admission afterward -- is likely to cost Hamels a suspension from Major League Baseball. But at least he had a good reason for plunking the 19-year-old emerging star ... right? “That's something I grew up watching, that's kind of what happened.

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels has been suspended five games for intentionally throwing at Washington Nationals rookie Bryce Harper. "I was trying to hit him," Hamels said after Sunday's game, during which he hit Harper in the back with a pitch in the first inning. "I'm not going to deny it. " Major League Baseball announced the penalty Monday. Hamels also was fined an undisclosed amount. Hamels added, "It's just, 'Welcome to the big leagues.' " Nationals starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann hit Hamels in the leg with a first-pitch fastball two innings later.

The Angels already are playing catch-up against the division-rival Texas Rangers, trailing the defending two-time American League champions by seven games through Sunday in the AL West. And they'll be way behind the Rangers again in June when it's time for Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft. Because of losses in compensation picks that came with the team's off-season free-agent signings of first baseman Albert Pujols and pitcher C.J. Wilson, the Angels' first pick will be in the third round, No. 114 overall.

With ownership of the Dodgers set to change hands in 11 days, Commissioner Bud Selig said Thursday that Major League Baseball is working to learn more about the sale but is not trying to stop it. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court approved the sale last week, despite complaints from MLB attorney Thomas Lauria that the league had not gotten a fair opportunity to review the transaction. Attorneys from MLB and Guggenheim Baseball, the new ownership group fronted by Magic Johnson and incoming team President Stan Kasten, have met with a court-appointed mediator this week in an effort to resolve the league's concerns.

With ownership of the Dodgers set to change hands on April 30, Commissioner Bud Selig said Thursday that Major League Baseball is working to learn more about the sale but is not trying to stop it. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court approved the sale last week, despite complaints from MLB attorney Thomas Lauria that the league had not gotten a fair opportunity to review the transaction. Attorneys from MLB and Guggenheim Baseball, the new ownership group led by financier Mark Walter and fronted by Magic Johnson and incoming team President Stan Kasten , have met with the court-appointed mediator this week in an effort to resolve the league's concerns.