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The article offers brief information on Ned Yost, the manager of the Kansas City Royals, baseball team. It mentions that he grew in Livermore Valley of California, as an undersize striver. It mentions that the Chicago Tribune , suggested that he is a bumbling idiot. It offers brief information on his professional baseball playing career.

The article profiles Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team. It is reported that, while team's Manny Ramirez was serving his suspension, and people in Los Angeles, California, were obsessed with the city's basketball team Los Angeles Lakers, the Dodgers kept winning, and as a result they have discovered several young players who are entering their primes and are talented enough to keep the team in the championship contention for years to come. The article profiles several of the team's players.

The article offers information on the Boras Sports Training Institute on the campus of the Soka University in Aliso Viejo, California. The Institute, founded by sports agent of prominent baseball players Scott Boras, focuses on developing the body of athletes by making it more resistant to injuries. It informs that the Institute employs five strength and conditioning coaches and two sports psychologists and mentions about the techniques employed by several players to improve their performance.

This article profiles Adrian Beltre of the Los Angeles Dodgers. At 25 Beltre has emerged as an MVP front-runner. (The Dodger Stadium crowd chants MVP! during every at bat.) With Scott Rolen, Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds splitting the St. Louis Cardinals vote, Dodgers manager Jim Tracy, among many others, sees a two-horse race between Beltre and Barry Bonds, whose San Francisco Giants ended the week in second place in the West but one game ahead in the wild-card race. Beltre reflexively deflects praise to his teammates, but when pressed, he says, "There have been a couple moments this year where I've just stopped and said, 'Wow.' I am enjoying every minute of this. The Dodgers signed the Dominican Republic native at 15 in 1994, violating major league baseball's minimum-age rule of 16, a transgression that did not come to light until five years later when the team was disciplined by the commissioner's office for having falsified documents relating to Beltre's age. He had reached the big leagues in '98 at 19, and in 2000 he hit .290 with 20 home runs and 85 RBIs in 138 games while playing superb defense at third. Beltre has pushed the Dodgers to the brink of their first playoff berth since 1996 while playing most of the year with bone spurs in his left ankle. That toughness is part of what has made him a team leader, but he's also beloved for his kindness. He's a regular visitor to the children's ward at L.A.'s White Memorial Medical Center. Despite the pressure of a pennant race, Beltre brings an obvious joy to the ballpark, and it's on display during every batting-practice home run derby.

Profiles baseball pitcher Randy Johnson and his frustration with the Arizona Diamondbacks. A 4-30 streak at week's end--capped by Sunday's 3-2 loss in which Johnson pitched eight shutout innings and struck out a season-high 14 but watched the bullpen blow a 1-0 lead--dropped the Diamondbacks below the vagabond Montreal Expos for baseball's worst record (31-69) and put them on track to lose 112 times. New York and Boston are short on the quality, major-league-ready prospects Arizona seeks and thus may have to involve a third club to acquire Johnson. Anaheim is loaded with such rising stars, including third baseman Dallas McPherson, catcher Jeff Mathis and first baseman Casey Kotchman, but with the seventh-best record in the AL through Sunday the Angels are not the October lock that Johnson seeks.

This article discusses the life of former baseball player, Lenny Dykstra. The eponymous owner of Lenny Dykstra's Car Wash Corp. is proudly showing off his three-acre compound at the traffic-clogged heart of Simi Valley, Calif., 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Today Lenny Dykstra's Car Wash Corp. employs 325 people, and on a weekend day up to 2,500 customers pass through the three properties, paying $24.99 for a Grand Slam wash, $32.95 for a quick lube and much, much more for a full range of repairs. At one Corona site Dykstra is building a Conoco-Phillips 76 gas station and convenience store. Sherwood is blighted by plenty of ostentatious Xanadus, but the 9,000-square-foot Dykstra home is classy and understated, the kind of place you find lining the old golf courses in Westchester County, N.Y. The walls are covered with family photos and a six-figure art collection.

This article discusses the efforts of San Francisco Giant's player, Barry Bonds, in the 2004 baseball season. Just as he was about to speak, centerfielder Marquis Grissom looked warily out of the corner of his eye around the San Francisco Giants clubhouse. Was Barry Bonds within earshot? Barry got a pitch to hit. The calculus of Bonds's season is much clearer than the chemistry: Umpires had dared call a strike on 58 of those first 444 pitches to Bonds, or an average of once every two times he came to the plate. Of the 25 times Bonds batted in the seventh inning or later in close games (with the Giants tied, ahead or behind by one run, or with the tying run on base, at the plate or on deck), pitchers walked him 15 times. INSET: WHEN TO PITCH TO BARRY.

Profiles Miguel Tejada, baseball player from the Oakland Athletics in California. Career highlights; Education and personal background; Game performance.

Profiles American professional baseball player Barry Bonds of San Francisco Giants, the baseball team of San Francisco, California. Factors contributing to the interest of Bonds in baseball; Career highlights; Support of Bonds in charitable causes.

Profiles Barry Bonds, a batsman in the San Francisco Giants baseball team. Honor given by the periodical 'Baseball Digest' to Bonds; Performance of Bonds in Major League baseball in 2001 and 2002; Views of co-players of Bonds on his performance in the 2002 World Series baseball tournament.

Focuses on the Anaheim Angels, who are making their first ever appearance in the World Series, after defeating the Minnesota Twins in the 2002 American League Championship Series. Details of game five, in which the Angels scored ten runs in the seventh inning to seal the victory; Strong performance by Angels player Adam Kennedy; Expectations for the World Series against the San Francisco Giants.

Focuses on the career developments of baseball player Eddie Joost in San Francisco, California. Reputation of Joost in the baseball field; Performances of Joost; Career achievements.

Focuses on San Diego Padres closer Trevor Hoffman. Biographical information; Dominance he has displayed on the mound during his Major League Baseball career; Lack of emotion Hoffman shows when he is pitching.

Presents an interview with the father of professional golfer Tiger Woods and baseball player Earl Woods in California. Devotion of Earl in training Tiger; Professional experience of Earl; Books published about training in golf.

Focuses on how baseball player Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants broke the home-run record and hitting his 71st home run. Idea that Bonds faced many challenges to break the record; Thought that being eliminated from the playoffs takes the fun out of his achievement.

Profiles baseball player Jason Giambi in California. Educational background; Presence of tatoos in the biceps of Giambi; Personality of the Giambi.

Profiles Oakland Athletics first baseman Jason Giambi, who won the American League Most Valuable Player Award in 2000. INSET: Giants' Jeff Kent Capture's 2000 N.L. MVP Honor.

Focuses on the efforts of Anaheim, California's Anaheim Angels outfielder Darin Erstad to become one of the best players in Major League Baseball.

Profiles Oakland Athletics pitcher Tim Hudson. His reputation as a student of the game; His attitude while on the pitcher's mound; How teams fare against him; His record as a rookie in 1999; How his determination has helped him overcome his physical shortcomings.

Profiles Barry Bonds, outfielder of the San Francisco Giants baseball team in San Francisco, California.

Interviews Tony Gwynn, baseball player for the San Diego Padres of San Diego, California. Contributions to the team; Details on his batting titles and baseball records; Problems with Gwynn's salary.

Focuses on the performance of Anaheim Angels baseball player Darin Erstad. Position played in the team; Batting average; Possibility of breaking George Sisler's single-season record of 257 hits set in 1920. INSET: SAME JIM, DIFFERENT STORY..

Discusses San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds and the effect of age on his baseball game. How he has remained one of the best all-around players, despite being 36 years-old and hampered by bulging discs in his back and surgery on his arm; His statistics as of June 2000; How he is driven by the performances of younger players; The importance to Bonds of winning a World Series; His views of the home run race.

Focuses on baseball player Shawn Green. Career history, including his trade from the Toronto Blue Jays to the Los Angeles Dodgers; Monetary value of the trade; Personal information; Recreation; Comments from Green and others; Outlook for the improvement of the Dodgers in the 2000 season.

Offers baseball news briefs. Success of Boston Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez in the team's victory over the New York Yankees; Conduct of San Diego Padres baseball player Phil Nevin; Details of six players who have had most-valuable-player-caliber years, but will go unrecognized in balloting for 1999 awards, including Brian Giles of the Pittsburgh Pirates. INSETS: In the Box;The Hot Corner;Trying Not to Relive the Past, By J.P..

Focuses on former baseball player Johnnie B. `Dusty' Baker Jr. Biographical information; Career details; Personal difficulties, including severed contact with his father as a result of his decision to play professional baseball instead of attending college; Role of Baker as manager of San Francisco Giants; Attitude and conduct; Comments from Baker and others.

Focuses on Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Kevin Brown. His background and family relationships; How much he makes with the Dodgers; His career statistics; How he developed as a player; His attitude toward life and the game; Comments of teammates, opponents, and family.

Profiles Jeff Kent, second baseman for the San Francisco Giants baseball team. What drives him as a player; How his teammates view him; The reputation he had before coming to San Francisco; His performance; How he got into baseball; His early career; Changes he has made in his hitting style; His family life.

Presents a biographical account of the life of Anthony Keith Gwynn, known as Tony Gwynn, a player of the San Diego Padres baseball team. Childhood; Disappointments; Successes; Personal background; Educational attainment; Career batting average; Most glorious season.

This section offers news briefs related to sports in the U.S. as of August 1974. At Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, California, former National League Baseball pitcher Bill Werle recounted an incident that occurred during a match against the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team in 1949. Golfer Barney Corrigan experienced fishing for striped bass in Long Island Sound, New York. The International Volleyball Association will begin conducting volleyball tournaments in June 1975.

Profiles Sandy Koufax, pitcher of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Expertise of Koufax in striking out the hitters at an average of more than one an inning; Number of strikes achieved by Koufax in a baseball season; Interest of Koufax in reading books by Thomas Wolfe, George Santayana and Aldous Huxley; Enjoyment of Koufax in taking solitary drives in the country and collects symphonic albums.

Features Juan Marichal, pitcher for the San Francisco Giants baseball team in 1967. Excellence of Marichal in baseball; Trademark move of Marichal; Family background of Marichal.

The article describes a trip made by the author, his wife and three sons. The three sons, aged 13, 11 and eight, were disappointed because of the cancellation of the planned trip to the 1960 Olympics. They chose to drive to Disneyland but they decided to pass by several side shows by going to California through a southerly route. On their way, they saw National League players, visited national parks, and practiced the spelling of difficult words, among other things.

The article discusses the issue regarding the difficulty for baseball players to reach .400 run in San Diego, California. The issue started during Tony Gwynn's first run at .400 but in reality he finished at only .324. Gwynn states that it is difficult that no one has done it while qualifying for the batting title and it takes a certain kind of personality to handle it in order to reach the .400 run.

Profiles Oakland, California-based baseball player Eric Chavez. Struggles of Chavez during early stages of his career; Problem faced by Chavez in 2002.

Focuses on the career of professional baseball player Darin Erstad in Anaheim, California. Attitude towards the game; Details on the hitting statistics of Erstad; Role in the playoff success of the Angels. INSET: Sinking the Mariners.

Focuses on San Francisco Giants baseball player Barry Bonds. Biographical information; Questions whether Bonds, the single-season home run record holder, could hit 80 during the 2002 Major League Baseball season; Strong offensive performance by Bonds during the first four games of the season, in which he slugged five round-trippers.

Profiles Los Angeles Dodgers baseball player Gary Sheffield. Rumors of Sheffield's transfer to another team; Role of Sheffield in the success of the Dodgers; Reconciliation between the player and the management of the Dodgers.

Profiles Troy Glaus, third baseman of the Anaheim Angels baseball team in Anaheim, California.

Features Eric Karros, first baseman of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team in Los Angeles, California.

Discusses the victory of Louisiana State University's baseball team in the 2000 College World Series. The hit by senior Brad Cresse which clinched the title in a win over Stanford University; Cresse's most thrilling moment in baseball; Cresse's career highlights, and the experience of being the son of a major league coach.