Pro Baseball: Josh Beckett, Boston Red Sox

published Aug. 3, 2011

Josh Beckett pitched six innings, striking out seven and allowing two earned runs Tuesday in the Boston Red Sox's 3-2 loss to the Cleveland Indians. Beckett graduated from Spring High School.

Beckett is a 1999 graduate of Spring High School where he was a two-time high school all-American in his junior (1998) and senior (1999) seasons. The Florida Marlins made him the second overall pick in the 1999 Major League Baseball draft and two years later after 39 minor league games. Beckett posted a 14-1 minor league record during 2001 with a 1.54 ERA and 203 strikeouts in 140 innings. He was named Baseball America's minor league player of the year the Florida Marlins' minor league player of the year and Baseball America first-team minor league all-star starting pitcher. On Sept. 4 2001 he made his Major League debut and made four starts for the Marlins going 2-2 with a 1.50 ERA. After going 6-7 with a 4.10 ERA in 23 games for Florida in 2002 Beckett went 9-8 with a 3.04 ERA and 152 strikeouts in 142 innings during the 2003 season. That year he helped the Marlins win their second World Series and Beckett was named MVP of the Fall Classic after his complete game five-hit shutout of the New York Yankees in the series-clinching Game 6. Beckett went 9-8 for Florida in 2004 and 15-8 in 2005 before he was traded to the Boston Red Sox prior to the 2006 campaign. After a 16-11 record and 5.01 ERA in 2006 his first in Boston Beckett went 20-7 with a 3.27 ERA in 30 starts for Boston in 2007. He was an American League all-star and finished second in the AL Cy Young Award voting before being named MVP of the American League Championship Series as he helped the Red Sox to the World Series title. He won double-digit games in 2008 and 2009 during which he was an AL all-star before going 6-6 in an injury-plagued 2010 season. Beckett was born May 15 1980 in Spring. Read more...

Pro Baseball: David M. Murphy, Texas Rangers

published Aug. 3, 2011

David M. Murphy went 1 for 4 and scored a run in the Texas Rangers's 6-5 loss at the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday. Murphy graduated from Klein High School.

Murphy is a 2000 graduate of Klein High School. He was selected by the Angels in the 50th round (1,439th overall) of the 2000 Major League Baseball draft, but he did not sign instead accepting a baseball scholarship to Baylor University. Murphy played three seasons (2001 to 2003) for the Bears posting a career .346 average in 175 games. Murphy was drafted by the Boston Red Sox with the 17th overall pick of the 2003. Murphy played in 43 games in 2007 for Texas hitting .340 with 14 RBIs. He was a regular player for the Rangers from 2008 through 2010 appearing in at least 100 games each year, and had his best season in 2010 when he hit .291 with 12 homers and 65 RBIs. Murphy was born Oct. 18, 1981 in Houston. Read more...

Pro Baseball: Jeremy L. Barfield, Midland RockHounds

published Aug. 3, 2011

Jeremy L. Barfield went 0 for 4 with one RBI in the Midland RockHounds's 13-8 loss to the Frisco RoughRiders on Tuesday. Barfield graduated from Klein High School.

Barfield is a 2006 graduate of Klein High School. He was selected by the New York Mets in the ninth round (274th overall) of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft but did not sign. Barfield played two seasons (2007 and 2008) at San Jacinto College before being selected by the Oakland Athletics in the eighth round (244th overall) of the 2008 MLB draft. Barfield is the son of 12-year Major League veteran Jesse Barfield and was born July 12, 1988 in Houston. Read more...

Alves Melina Cristina applies for new DBA

Special to the Chronicle published Aug. 3, 2011

According to the Harris County Clerk's Office, Alves Melina Cristina, of P.O. Box 22386, Houston, TX 77227, applied to do business as America Interactive. The address for America Interactive, which is unincorporated, is listed as P.O. Box 22386, Houston, TX 77227.