Baseball: Houston Ownership Deal, Brett Pill, Joakim Soria, Roger Clemens

Jim Crane is becoming impatient at how long it's taking Major League Baseball to approve his purchase of the Houston Astros. The Houston businessman told the Houston Chronicle in his first interview since the news conference to announce the sale that his contract with current Astros owner Drayton McLane has a deadline. He said in the story posted Thursday night that the $680 million deal with McLane announced May 16 goes through Nov. 30. - http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/6946057/jim-crane-waiting-mlb-approval-buy-houson-astros  

San Francisco Giants rookie Brett Pill blasted a Home Run in his first two major league games. As a result the baseball card market for the career minor leaguer who turns 27 on Friday all of a sudden his previously worth very little baseball cards were selling at levels that match the best in the game. Check out the insane prices people have paid for some of his rarest cards. - http://topprospectalert.com/2011/09/08/giants-rookie-brett-pill-baseball-cards-blow-up  

Joakim Soria - $6 million option vests with 55 appearances. - “The Mexicutioner” (quite possibly the coolest nickname EVER) has already made 58 appearances, allowing the Royals to have another year of an elite closer at a discount price. Soria has had a down year when compared to his first four seasons, but his value is still evident. He has an $8 million team option for 2013 and $8.75 million in 2014, each with $750,000 buyouts. It wouldn’t be surprising for him to be dealt by the deadline next year, especially if Aaron Crow stays in the bullpen and becomes closer-worthy. - http://thebaseballhaven.wordpress.com/2011/09/08/2012-mlb-vesting-options  

Last Friday, Judge Walton ruled that Clemens must stand trial again and set April 17, 2012 as the trial date. Lawyers for Roger Clemens argued vehemently that he should not have to stand trial again since his trial had already begun (causing double jeopardy). But Judge Walton, stating that the holding of the Supreme Court of the United States is that the defendant has to show that the prosecutors intentionally showed the jury the evidence (and while, in this case, even questioning the prosecutors’ motives), would not go so far as to say that they did act intentionally. Thus, Judge Walton did not dismiss the case. Indeed, he stated that he could find no case where a defendant was successful, on this fact pattern (mistrial at the start of a trial), of getting an indictment dismissed.As a result, Roger Clemens will be tried again. Clemens did have to waive his right to a speedy trial (Judge Walton would have set the retrial for a date earlier - http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/09/09/kallas-remarks-updates-on-the-roger-clemens-and-barry-bonds-cases