Report: Vlad Guerrero Pays Out $25K a Month in Child Support

When I read that Vladimir Guerrero has eight kids with five different women I was, well, I wasn't shocked.  But when I saw that dude is all "meh...whatever" about paying the child support, I took notice.

Allow me to explain.

According to the Thirty Mile Zone (and some legal documents), the former MVP shells out $25,621 a month in child support. 

Here's the breakdown:

Baby Mama #1 (1 kid): $5,237
Baby Mama #2 (1 kid): $3,214
Baby Mama #3 (2 kids):$1,655
Baby Mama #4 (2 kids): $3,465
Heidy as listed in the suit (2 kids): $12,050

But why is Guerrero not even sweating the details?  Apparently he socked away more than $25 million in stocks and bonds over his 16-year big league career.

Well, played, Vlad.  Well.  Played.  I mean about the money.  Not the kids and the baby mamas and the...well, nevermind.

Vlad Makes His Pitch to the Yanks

With Jorge Posada no longer in the Bronx and Jesus Montero taking his promise to Seattle...the New York Yankees have, seemingly, been left without a designate hitter.

But, according to ESPN's Buster Olney...there's one slugger out there that's stumping hard for the gig.

Vladimir Guerrero has made it known to the Yankees that he wants their DH spot. IMO, Raul Ibanez still the frontrunner to sign w/NYY as DH.

Currently, the Yankees have Andruw Jones slated to be their Opening Day DH, but, honestly, I wouldn't be so sure that it doesn't, at some point, end up as Alex Rodriguez's job.

But as far as Jones, Guerrero or Ibanez as your full-time DH?  It's a potential wash if you ask me.  However, you're the New York Yankees, Yankees...why not just get all three under contract and go from there.

And in case any of you were wondering...I'm available as well.

Vladimir Guerrero Settles on Baltimore

The move had been rumored for a while, so when it was announced Friday that plans were in place for the Baltimore Orioles to ink Vladimir Guerrero...no one should have been surprised.

The surprising part of the whole thing...the Orioles have had, quietly, a fantastic off season.

Seriously...an off season like the one that had makes the paltry efforts of division foes, the New York Yankees, look comical.

Now, the beleaguered O's won't compete in the American League East (that job belongs to the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays), but they'll beat up on some of the other American League teams.

Consider this...by signing Guerrero, Baltimore is adding a pretty sizable bat to a lineup that already added some bulk in the form of Mark Reynolds, Derrek Lee and J.J. Hardy.  And at only 35 (he'll turn 36 next week), dude is poised to add to an already Hall of Fame worthy career.

Last year, after signing a one-year, $5.5 million deal with the Texas Rangers, Guerrero slugged 29 home runs, knocked in 115 and hit .300.  The nine-time All-Star will enter 2011 with 2427 hits, 436 home runs and 1433 RBI for his career.

After 15 years in the bigs, Guerrero has a lifetime .320 batting average and it's worth mentioning that the free swinger is just one of four players (Frank Robinson, Dave Winfield and Fred McGriff are the others) to record 1000 hits in both the American and National Leagues.

So if Guerrero can avoid the injuries that limited him to just 100 games in 2009 and moved him from the outfield to designated hitter...are we looking at baseball's next 3000 hit-500 home run guy?

Perhaps.

And without a hint a steroids surrounding Guerrero (and let's face it, you almost have to think that about with everyone nowadays)...is it possible we're looking at a future Hall of Famer?

Most definitely.

Texas lands a big bat

In the last month or so, the Texas Rangers have seen Andruw Jones (to the White Sox), Ivan Rodriguez (Nationals) and Marlon Byrd (Cubs) fly the coop (see what I did there?) and are preparing themselves for Hank Blalock to do the same.

So how do you replace a combined 63 home runs and 211 RBI and the Mets already snatched up 2004 National League Rookie of the Year Jason Bay?

Go out and sign 2004 National League Rookie of the Year runner up Khalil Greene…that’s how!

Seriously, with the addition of Greene, the Rangers are hoping to find themselves in the playoffs for the first time since 1999.

What? It could happen.

All joking aside (and yes, while I am serious about Greene heading to the Lone Star State…this is more important), the Rangers struck gold with a one-year deal with hitting machine Vladimir Guerrero.

At five million next season, “The Impaler” looks to build on his legend while locking down the designated hitter spot for the Rangers.

As it is, he is one of six players (immortals Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig and Stan Musial are the others) to carry a .320 career batting average and more than 400 career home runs.

Guerrero's new teammate, CJ Wilson is excited to have the futue Hall of Famer in the fold.

"He's the premium DH bat available on the market and we landed him for our price," the reliever told me, "seems like a great job and an awesome addition to the team."

Last season, in just 100 games with the Angels, Guerrero hit career lows with a .295 batting average, 15 home runs and 50 RBI…but something tells me that being a lineup alongside Michael Young, Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz might help iron out those wrinkles.

The season that was...August

Going into the 2009 season, there were about a dozen or so active players with 300 or more home runs. By the time August rolled around…five more joined the club and two others topped 400 and 500 respectively.

Which brings us to (drum roll, please)…Carlos Lee!

When “El Caballo" went deep against his old team, the Brewers on August 8, his Astros became the first team in Major League history to have three players (Ivan Rodriguez and Lance Berkman were the first two) get their 300th home runs in the same season.

Another sidenote...Lee is the only Panamanian born player to hit 300 home runs. And in case you were wondering (and I know you were), Ben Oglivie is next on the "most home runs hit by a Panamanian born player" with 235.

Two nights later, Angels slugger Vladimir Guerrero accomplished something that only five others have done...reached 400 career bombs while maintaining a .320 career batting average.

So who are the other throwbacks you ask?

Babe Ruth (.342 career average and 714 home runs), Jimmie Foxx (.325 and 534), Ted Williams (.344 and 521), Lou Gehrig (.340 and 493) and Stan Musial (.331 and 475).

Later in the month, Guerrero became just the 13th player to notch more than 1000 hits with more than two teams. He’s got 1215 from his days in Montreal and ended the season at 1034. And still young at 34, it isn’t out of the question that he could get the 751 hits he needs to get to 3000.

All that aside, I’m picking him as an early lock to get enshrined whenever he decides to hang up his batting gloves, er…cleats.

Also on August 10, Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies hit for the cycle against the Cubs. In doing so…he became only the second player in baseball history to have hit for the cycle and have an unassisted triple play in their career.

The other? John Valentin.

And before he surpassed Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig for what proved to be the most over-hyped milestone of the season, Derek Jeter actually accomplished something a little more impressive than being the Yankees all-time hit leader.

In the span of one week, the Yankees shortstop amassed enough hits to pass up both Luis Aparicio and Omar Vizquel to become the all-time hit leader among shortstops.

Allow me to explain.

Of Vizquel's 2697 hits at the time...2669 came at shortstop, whereas all but four (2673) of Aparicio's 2677 career base knocks came at shortstop. Coming into the August 16 contest against the Mariners, Jeter had 2672 hits as a shortstop.

Clearly, his 3 for 4 that night put him over the top.

To put this achievement into perspective, Cal Ripken Jr. notched 2479 of his 3,184 hits as a shortstop. So, how good is Jeter?

He's a ten-time All-Star (missing the game only twice since 1998), carries a .316 career batting average and in 2003, was named New York's team captain...making him only the 11th player to carry that moniker since 1912.

Not too shabby.

Add to that that his second place finish in the 2006 MVP balloting was the best by a Yankees shortstop since Phil Rizzuto took home the award in 1950 and you've got a legend in the making.

But I didn't have to tell any of you that.

Knock yourself out and check out April, May, June and July...September, naturally, is up next.

Finally 400!

Look up "Vlad the Impaler" in any history book (or over at Wikipedia) and you'll find that he reigned off an on from 1448 to 1476.

Equally as impressive has been the reign of the Angels own impaler...Vladimir Guerrero.

See what I did there?

With two home runs against the Rays Monday night, Guerrero accomplished something that only five others have done...reached 400 career bombs while maintaining a .320 career batting average.

"He’s kind of a throwback," Giants manager Bruce Bochy once said about Guerrero. "You know, no batting gloves. It’s good old hardball with him."

So who are the other throwbacks you ask? Babe Ruth (.342 career average and 714 home runs), Jimmie Foxx (.325 and 534), Ted Williams (.344 and 521), Lou Gehrig (.340 and 493) and Stan Musial (.331 and 475).