It's no secret the Cleveland Indians want to sign All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor to a long-term contract.
Thanks to little Brody Chernoff, the length of that deal now may be known.
On Saturday, the 6-year-old son of Indians General Manager Mike Chernoff was invited into the team's broadcast booth during the ninth inning of an exhibition game against the Chicago White Sox. During the visit, Brody Chernoff was asked a few questions by veteran announcer Tom Hamilton, who wanted to know whether the youngster's dad was working on any new deals.
"He's trying to get, um, Lindor to play for seven more years," Brody answered.
Hamilton burst into laughter at the response and joked that "we better not talk anymore, Brody."
Lindor, 23, quickly has become one of the American League's rising young stars and the face of the Indians. He batted .301 with 15 home runs and 78 RBI and won a Gold Glove in 2016, his first full season in the major leagues.
The Indians have had negotiations with Lindor's agents this spring about potentially signing a long-term deal. The club already has an agreement in place with infielder Jose Ramirez on a reported four- or five-year extension.
No word on what role Brody played in those negotiations.
Free-throw legend
A California podiatrist who made history when he made 2,750 consecutive free throws has died. He was 94.
Dr. Tom Amberry died in Long Beach on March 18, said his granddaughter, Roxanne Amberry.
The retired podiatrist earned a spot in Guinness World Records and brief celebrity status in 1993 after he lobbed in shot after shot for 12 hours.
Amberry later said he could have shot many more free throws, but a janitor interrupted him because it was time to turn off the lights and close the small recreational center gym in Orange County.
"I could have made more -- a lot more," said Amberry, according to the Los Angeles Times. "But they were closing the gym, so they kicked me out."
Born in Grand Forks, N.D., Amberry played basketball for the University of North Dakota and later transferred to Long Beach City College, where he was named junior college player of the year.
He was offered a contract by the then-Minneapolis Lakers, but he instead chose to attend podiatry school. He opened his own practice in Long Beach in 1951.
Amberry made basketball his hobby after retiring in 1991 and would shoot at least 500 free throws at an athletic club in Seal Beach each day, except for Sunday.
He made 500 consecutive free throws on 473 separate occasions, according to notes he kept.
"A free throw takes six seconds, and you can't think of anything else during those six seconds," he explained to Sports Illustrated in 1994.
Amberry wrote a book titled Free Throw: 7 Steps to Success at the Free Throw Line, and he was in high demand by basketball coaches from high school to the NBA.
Sports on 03/28/2017