NEW YORK — Baseballs will keep their cool this summer.
The commissioner's office has told all 30 teams for the first time that balls must be stored at a uniform temperature after they are delivered from the manufacturer.
"The specifications that Rawlings recommends are a 70-degree temperature and 50 percent humidity," baseball senior vice president Joe Garagiola Jr. said Friday.
"We have contacted all 30 of the clubs, and they have all confirmed to us that they will be storing their baseballs in a temperature-controlled facility. We're not going to have humidors everyplace, but every place will be temperature controlled, and so I think there will be a very high degree of uniformity."
The decision was made after the Rockies' started using a humidor at Coors Field.
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The ballpark ranked first in the major leagues in scoring in its first eight seasons, starting in 1995, but dropped to second in three of the last four years behind Arlington's Ameriquest Field (2003), Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park (2005) and Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium (2006).
Bauer, a cornerstone of N.Y. dynasty, dies at 84
NEW YORK — Hank Bauer, a hard-nosed ex-Marine who returned to baseball after being wounded during World War II, and went on to become a cornerstone of the Yankees dynasty of the 1950s, died Friday. He was 84.
Bauer died of cancer in Shawnee Mission, Kan., the Orioles said. Bauer managed the 1966 Orioles to their first World Series title.
A three-time All-Star outfielder, Bauer played on Yankees teams that won nine American League pennants and seven World Series in 10 years. He set the Series record with a 17-game hitting streak, a mark that still stands.
Inside pitch
● The Diamondbacks announced Friday that broadcaster Greg Schulte, who has been the radio play-by-play voice for the team since its inception, has signed a four-year contract extension through the 2011 season.
All 162 Diamondbacks games will be broadcast on KTAR (620-AM) in Phoenix and the Diamondbacks' radio network. The Tucson affiliate is KFFN (1490-AM).
● The Padres added Andy Masur to their radio broadcast team Friday and extended the contract of Jerry Coleman through the 2009 season.
● Chan Ho Park is joining an expanding list of pitchers trying to earn spots in the Mets' rotation. Park and the Mets agreed Friday to a $600,000, one-year contract, giving the team another option for its starting rotation. In addition to his base salary, Park could earn $2.4 million in performance bonuses based on innings.
● Center fielder Corey Patterson avoided arbitration with the Orioles by agreeing Friday to a $4.3 million, one-year contract. Patterson had a career-high 45 stolen bases last season and batted .276 — 61 points higher than he hit in 2005 with the Cubs.
● Pitcher Jeff Fassero has retired after winning 121 games over 16 major-league seasons.
