Top News:
David Lefort / Boston Red Sox:
Johnson to Sox — The Red Sox added another arm today, trading for struggling Indians righthander Jason Johnson, who has eight losses and an ERA around 6.00 for the season. The Sox get Johnson and cash consideration in the deal in exchange for a player to be named later and cash.
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Barry Svrluga / Washington Post:
Red Sox Pound Nats Again — Third Straight Loss Leaves Team Searching for Answers: Red Sox 9, Nationals 3 — BOSTON, June 21 — They came here on such a high that their manager said they might not need a plane to fly north from the District. But on Wednesday night …
Michael Silverman / Boston Herald:
Pedro fires 'home': Ex-Sox ace expects warm Fenway welcome — NEW YORK — Pedro Martinez still calls Boston home. — Technically, he's right, since he still, for now, owns a house here and certainly visits often enough, more frequently than people think.
Jeff Horrigan / Boston Herald:Sox march on — Lester finishes sweep of NL squad
Discussion:
Boston Globe
Jeff Passan / Yahoo! Sports:
Guillen doesn't get it — CHICAGO - It's a little past 7 p.m., about time for the first pitch between the Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Cardinals, and the crowd at Crew, a gay sports bar, barely notices. — As Mark Buehrle pumps in a strike, patrons chat about their day's work …
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ESPN:
Guillen fined, ordered to take sensitivity training for slur — Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen on Thursday was fined an undisclosed amount of money and ordered to undergo sensitivity training for his use of a derogatory term aimed at Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti.
Jay Mariotti / Chicago Sun Times:
Sensitivity the issue, Guillen the problem — Try as I do, it's hard to view sports as some sort of guiding light for humankind. You want to believe in this stuff after sitting in a Dallas arena and watching Dwyane Wade, a credit to his hometown and as humble as he is spectacular …
Joe Cowley / Chicago Sun Times:
Ozzie vs. Mariotti: Guillen apologetic, defiant — White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen apologized for his choice of words during a tirade Tuesday directed at Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti. — But Guillen insisted Wednesday that the ongoing war of words between the two is now ''personal,'' and he has no intention of backing down.
Patrick Saunders / Denver Post:
Carroll bandwagon gaining passengers — Greg Reynolds, a pitcher from Stanford who was the Rockies first-round pick in this month s draft, met the media Wednesday at Coors Field. Reynolds plans to sign a contract Friday and then make a brief appearance with the Single-A short-season Tri-City Dust Devils …
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Susan Slusser / San Francisco Chronicle:
MLB exec not amused by Macha's humidor remark — (06-22) 04:00 PDT Denver — Ken Macha's statement Tuesday that there should be "an investigation'' into the humidor-stored baseballs at Coors Field didn't go over well with Major League Baseball's executive vice president for baseball operations.
Associated Press:
Padres-Rangers Preview — The Texas Rangers ' current stretch of interleague games started off promising, but now the team is hoping to stave off a slump. — The Rangers look to avoid being swept for the second time overall this season when they wrap up their three-game series …
Discussion:
Ducksnorts
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Dejan Kovacevic / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Pirates Notebook: Is Torres taking ball too often? — KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Salomon Torres is on pace to finish the year with 95 appearances, one more than Kent Tekulve's franchise record. — But at what cost? — After giving up key runs in his outings Sunday and Monday, Torres' ERA is 4.30 …
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Boston Globe:
Former Sox starter admits steroid use — Crawford says it was 'everywhere' in baseball — Paxton Crawford, reached by phone last night, offered no more than a minute to explain himself, despite the fact that in the ESPN The Magazine issue that hit newsstands yesterday he detailed …
Discussion:
The Joy of Sox
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John Tomase / Boston Herald:
Crawford hits home - Sox react to ex-pitcher's drug claims — Paxton Crawford's Red Sox career can best be described as forgettable, his claim to fame a sketchy back injury supposedly caused by falling out of bed onto a glass. — That story made Crawford a punch line …
Gordon Edes / Boston Globe:
He's back — Martínez, eyeing Fenway return, has had a striking impact on Mets — NEW YORK — His words are absent the bitterness he expressed at his parting from the Red Sox 18 months ago. When he returns next week to Fenway Park for the first time since leaving the Sox …
Discussion:
Hot Foot
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Rich Lederer / The Baseball Analysts:
Numerous Castles Among This Year's Rooks — As the season approaches the halfway point, I thought it would be instructive to check out how the rookies have performed in both the American and National Leagues. What I found of most interest is the fact that the AL seems to have the upper hand …
Scott Miller / CBS SportsLine.com:
Rookie Liriano may blow away even the Rocket — HOUSTON — For now, he's the other news. As in, "And in other news ..." — By the time Thursday's game finishes, however, don't be surprised if the kid opposing Roger Clemens walks with his share of the national spotlight.
Discussion:
The Griddle
Mike DiGiovanna / Los Angeles Times:
Brain Trust Will Have Meeting of Minds Today — SAN FRANCISCO — Angels owner Arte Moreno, General Manager Bill Stoneman and Manager Mike Scioscia will hold a summit meeting of sorts today in Mesa, Ariz., with an objective of exchanging ideas to improve an underachieving team that is mired …
Evan Grant / Dallas Morning News:
Ump stands by foul call on Teixeira blast — ARLINGTON - The umpires could feel the Rangers pain. — Bill Welke, the first base umpire who called Mark Teixeira's potential game-winning home run foul in the bottom of the ninth Tuesday, said the call was extremely difficult to make.
Mark Bowman / MLB.com:
Notes: Sosa heads to bullpen — Braves hope righty's new role will fix the team's bullpen woes — ATLANTA — When Jorge Sosa was moved into the starting rotation around this time last year, he found a role that allowed him to enjoy his finest big-league season.
Matthew Leach / MLB.com:
Reyes earns another look — Right-hander to start Thursday, could stick in starting rotation — CHICAGO — Asked in spring to add a sinking fastball to his repertoire, Anthony Reyes gave it a good faith effort. But it didn't always work all that well, so Reyes compromised.
David Kravets / Associated Press:
Feds say Chronicle reporters' needed to solve Bonds leak case — Feds say Chronicle reporters' needed to solve Bonds leak case — SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Bush administration urged a federal judge here Wednesday to force two San Francisco Chronicle reporters to divulge who leaked …
