Hardy

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Buck Showalter said he had been looking for a night off for shortstop J.J. Hardy, and Monday made sense, especially considering Hardy is 2-for-27 against Texas right-hander Ryan Dempster in his career. “It's just a good time, I've been thinking about it for a while,” Showalter said. “J.J., you've seen the level he plays the game at. … There's nobody more deserving [of a rest].” It helps, Showalter said, that he now has three other players who can handle shortstop: Omar Quintanilla, Robert Andino and rookie Manny Machado.

X-rays taken on shortstop J.J. Hardy's left side following the Orioles' 6-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday afternoon were negative. Hardy, who was drilled in the side by a 91-mph fastball from James Shields in a five-run fifth inning, said he had a sizable bruise. He entered the Orioles' clubhouse with his torso wrapped in ice. "They're fine," he said. "They hurt but they're fine. They hurt a lot. " Hardy has started in 96 of the Orioles' 99 games this season and is playing through a sore throwing shoulder.

Today's print story details Jeff Hardy's rise back to prominence in TNA . As part of the interview that didn't make the story, Hardy discussed some of the opponents he'd like to step into the squared circle with. Atop that list is former X Division and reigning World Heavyweight Champion Austin Aries, who won the company's top prize earlier this month at the “Destination X” pay-per-view. “From the first moment I saw him on his roll, I was like, 'Wow, this guy is doing some crazy creative stuff,' and then to see him on the mic and just his personality, everything about that guy is really good,” Hardy said.

Jeff Hardy knows what it's like to hit rock bottom. The Charismatic Enigma's 17-year professional wrestling career had seen its share of ups and downs. At his peak, Hardy earned a reputation as one of the most awe-inspiring and beloved fan favorites of the industry's modern era. At his low, Hardy found himself engaged in a battle with personal demons - as well as the legal system - playing out in front of a national audience. He would eventually be sent home from work, deemed to be in no physical condition to continue performing.

Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy can't wait to get injured teammate Nick Markakis back in the lineup. Markakis, the club's No. 3 hitter, is currently on a brief minor league rehab assignment at Double-A Bowie, and could join the team - barring a setback - for Thursday's workout day before opening the second half of the season. He's been on the disabled list since June 1 recovering from surgery to remove a broken piece of the hamate bone in his right wrist. "A lot," Hardy said when asked how much Markakis' return will help.

Steven Robert Hardy, a Harford County public school educator whose career spanned more than four decades, died June 13 of cancer at his Bel Air home. He was 64. The son of a real estate salesman and a homemaker, Mr. Hardy was born and raised in Havre de Grace. After graduating from Havre de Grace High School in 1965, he earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education in 1969 from what is now Towson University. He completed his graduate studies in education administration at Morgan State University and had earned a master's degree from Loyola University Maryland.

[This is the first in a series of stories getting to know a variety of local athletes and coaches away from the game.] This is how seriousJ.J. Hardyis about the game: the first thing you see when you walk into his Chandler, Ariz., home is a gleaming pingpong table. "It's a room most people would use as a sitting room," the Orioles shortstop says. "Put some nice furniture in there. Maybe a piano or something like that. " Not Hardy. Hardy wanted to make a statement. So he filled the room with a sleek, $2,500 Killerspin pingpong table, blue with silver trim.

There's nothing quite like having your favorite athlete sitting on your desk, bobbing along as you slog through the work day. So when the Orioles decided for the first time to let fans vote on the subject of their September bobblehead giveaway, there was some serious responsibility put in your hands. The fans have spoken, choosing shortstop J.J. Hardy over Robert Andino, Mark Reynolds, Jake Arrieta and Tommy Hunter, the team announced today. The J.J. Hardy AT&T Fans' Choice Bobblehead will be distributed to the first 20,000 fans age 15 and over who attend the Sunday Sept.

Thursday's off day - which halted a span of 20 games in 20 days for the Orioles - was a needed respite for everyone on the club. But perhaps nobody appreciated it more than J.J. Hardy, who also had Wednesday off because manager Buck Showalter said his shortstop was dealing with a "barky" right shoulder. Truthfully, Hardy said Saturday, his shoulder has been screaming and howling for the past couple weeks - hurting so much that he considered receiving a cortisone shot similar to the one he had in March when the problem first arose.

Thursday's off day - which halted a span of 20 games in 20 days for the Orioles - was a needed respite for everyone on the club. But perhaps nobody appreciated it more than J.J. Hardy, who also had Wednesday off because manager Buck Showalter said his shortstop was dealing with a "barky" right shoulder. Truthfully, Hardy said Saturday, his shoulder has been screaming and howling for the past couple weeks - hurting so much that he considered receiving a cortisone shot similar to the one he had in March when the problem first arose.