Video: Rockies’ minor leaguer breaks bat, hits 410-foot home run

 








Broken-bat home runs aren't as rare as say a double hit, but that doesn't make them any less impressive when they do occur.


The latest such home run was struck by a fringe catching prospect in the Colorado Rockies organization by the name of Jordan Pacheco.


Pacheco, who has spent the entire season playing for the Rockies Triple-A affiliate in Colorado Springs, exploded his bat with a sixth-inning swing in a 7-6 win over Salt Lake City on Friday night. Amazingly, the ball jumped off his bat and then kept carrying, and carrying, and carrying. It eventually cleared the 410-foot sign in center field for a two-run homer.

watch now the rockies minor leaguer breaks bat











So how did that happen? Well, here's the catch: Pacheco's home ballpark (Security Service Field) sits 6,531 feet above sea level, which is the highest elevation of any ballpark in North America. That's nearly 1,300 feet higher than Coors Field. And there's no humidor in place to help make life easier for the pitchers. That makes it arguably the most hitter-friendly park at any level of professional baseball.


If you want to put an asterisk next to Pacheco's homer, it would be understandable based on that information.
But here's the other catch: Despite that homefield advantage, Pacheco had only hit one home run in 213 at-bats this season prior to the broken bat shot. So we're not talking about a former major leaguer with power like Mike Jacobs(notes), who has hit 15 home runs in the Springs this season. We're talking about a light-hitting catcher that probably doesn't project as anything more than a career backup.


Putting all of those elements together, I honestly can't explain how Pacheco pulled this off. Go back and watch the video again. Maybe you'll figure something out.

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Elizabeth Smart to work as ABC commentator

 photo Elizabeth Smart talking to the media in …

Elizabeth Smart is taking a job with ABC News as a commentator focusing on missing persons and child abduction cases.

The Utah woman who was kidnapped from her bedroom at knifepoint, raped and held captive at age 14 by a Salt Lake City street preacher can provide viewers with a unique perspective, network spokeswoman Julie Townsend told The Associated Press on Thursday.

A deal with the now 23-year-old has been the works for several months and she could be on the air within the next few weeks, Townsend said.
"We think she'll help our viewers better understand missing persons stories," Townsend said in a telephone call from New York City. "This is someone with the perspective to know what a family experiences when a loved one goes missing."

Smart was kidnapped from her family home in the dead of night on June 5, 2002, by Brian David Mitchell, an itinerant street preacher whose writings have revealed he took the blond-haired, blue-eyed girl so he could practice polygamy.

Mitchell, 56, was convicted in December on federal charges of kidnapping and unlawful transportation of a minor across state lines for sex. He was sentenced in May to life in federal prison without parole.

An appeal of Mitchell's conviction has not yet been filed.

At a news conference after the sentencing, Smart said she was looking forward to a new and "beautiful" next chapter of her life, including working on behalf of missing children.

"I am looking at all the different options and trying to decide where I can make the biggest difference, where I can have the biggest effect for good," Smart said May 25 outside Salt Lake City's U.S. District Court.

She and her father, Ed Smart, also used the news conference to highlight several missing persons cases and talked about the creation of the Elizabeth Smart Foundation, which will focus on protecting children from falling victim to kidnapping and sexual crimes.

In an email early Thursday, Smart's spokesman Chris Thomas said the Brigham Young University music student wants to use the media position to further her goals.

"Elizabeth is committed to giving back and getting involved where she can make the greatest difference through child advocacy work," Thomas wrote. "Partnering with ABC provides a powerful tool to help her accomplish this."

The scope of Smart's assignment has yet to be fully defined, but ABC expects she will contribute across the spectrum of the network's programs and formats, including appearances on Good Morning America, Nightline, ABC News and radio, Townsend said.

Financial details of Smart's contract with the network were not disclosed.

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Jolie and Parker highest paid U.S. actresses

• Jolie attends the premiere of "The Tree of Life" at LACMA in Los Angeles

 Angelina Jolie and Sarah Jessica Parker, with annual salaries of $30 million each, are the highest paid actresses in Hollywood, according to a new ranking.


Jolie topped the Forbes.com list thanks to the worldwide success of her action film "Salt," which brought in $300 million, and "The Tourist," which also featured Johnny Depp and earned $280 million in global sales.
Much of Parker's hefty salary comes from reruns of her hit television show "Sex and the City, which she starred in and produced, and earnings from the second film from the series which generated $290 million.
"People may be surprised to see Sarah Jessica Parker up there but they may not realize that in addition to acting, she earns big from her perfumes and endorsement deals," 

Pomerantz of Forbes.com.commend, "Also she's coming off of Sex and the City 2 which turned a healthy profit."
Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon were not far behind in the rankings with each actress bringing home $28 million.


Aniston film "Just Go With It" is her fourth highest earning film in the U.S.
The top 10 earning actress made a total of $218 million between May 2010 and May 2011, according to Forbes.com, which compiled the list by talking to producers, lawyers, agents and Hollywood insiders to estimate what each actress earned.


Last year's top earner, Sandra Bullock, has enjoyed a 12-month movie hiatus and dropped to No.9 with earning of $15 million.

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