Top News:
Associated Press:
Cardinals activate Pujols, place Mulder on disabled list — CHICAGO (AP) — Albert Pujols came off the disabled list Thursday and returned to the St. Louis Cardinals' lineup for their series finale against the Chicago White Sox. — The 2005 NL MVP played first base and batted third.
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Mark Gonzales / Chicago Tribune:
1-hit thunder — Thome only batter to crack Cards' Reyes— with solo HR in 7th to complete sweep — Several thousand White Sox fans turned Thursday to a suite behind home plate where their suspended manager was seated and chanted "Ozzie, Ozzie." — But Freddy Garcia and Jim Thome deserved …
Discussion:
Exile in Wrigleyville
Matthew Leach / MLB.com:
Cards look to Reyes to avoid sweep — St. Louis (42-28) at White Sox (46-25), 7:05 p.m. CT — The Cardinals will try to stave off a sweep on Wednesday night when they send rookie right-hander Anthony Reyes to the mound against the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field.
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.
Scott Merkin / MLB.com:
Guillen criticized by Cards coach — Manager, Riske suspended following game vs. Cards — CHICAGO — On a day when a possible feud between Ozzie Guillen and Houston manager Phil Garner ended before it got started, the White Sox manager apparently found a new sparring partner in St. Louis pitching coach Dave Duncan.
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.
Dave van Dyck / Chicago Tribune:Guillen, Duncan feud over plunking
Discussion:
Exile in Wrigleyville
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 …
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Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Robinson proud of his work with Nats — Skipper unsure of his future under new ownership group … MLB.com: Ever since Major League Baseball named the Lerner group as the new owners of the Nationals, there has been non-stop speculation about your future with the club. What is your take on your future with this team?
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Barry Svrluga / Washington Post:
A Legend's Uncertain Future — The past is the past, and no one's taking it away from Frank Robinson, least of all those in Baltimore, where he will arrive today to manage the 2,155th game of his major league career. "I am attached to Baltimore," he said this week, "and I always will be."
Richard Durrett / Dallas Morning News:
Danks promoted to Triple-A — ARLINGTON - Left-handed starter John Danks took what general manager Jon Daniels described as a "big step" Thursday. He was promoted to Oklahoma and will make his first career Triple-A start Saturday. — "John's commanding his three pitches well now …
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball
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T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com:
Notes: Daniels frustrated by calls — Rangers GM irked by decisions on close plays — ARLINGTON — Rangers general manager Jon Daniels admitted he is a bit frustrated that three close calls went against his team in two losses to the Padres on Tuesday and Wednesday.
NY Daily News:
Junior achievement: Staying on the field — Just before he left his Orlando home for the trek south to the Cincinnati Reds' spring training camp in Sarasota in February, Ken Griffey Jr.'s 10-year-old daughter Taryn called him aside to ask him a question. — "How many years have you been playing baseball, Daddy?" she asked.
Discussion:
Red Hot Mama
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Charles Odum / Associated Press:
Braves in unexpected free-fall from first to worst — Braves in unexpected free-fall from first to worst — ATLANTA (AP) — At the start of spring training, Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones scanned the names above the clubhouse lockers and made a prediction.
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Tangotiger / insidethebook.com:
Derek Jeter: God of all that is Clutch — Some clutch data to taste for the 2006 season. — Fangraphs is keeping track of the change in win expectancy for the season. How is Derek Jeter, the clutchest of all clutch players doing? Don't look now, but he is leading the Yankees in win probability added, with +3.2 wins!
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.
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Jordan Bastian / MLB.com:
Notes: Jays cautious about Burnett — Toronto quietly hoping righty's return solidifies starting rotation — ATLANTA — Aside from two starts in April, A.J. Burnett has been practically invisible. Sure, he's been in Toronto's clubhouse, in the trainer's room and on the field plenty of times …
Mike Berardino / Sun-Sentinel:
Loria's offer to Bonds draws ire — Jeffrey Loria's generosity with ballplayers is well known, but a recent example landed the Marlins owner in hot water with at least one of his National League rivals. — When the San Francisco Giants were in South Florida last month …
Associated Press:
Source revealed — Feds seize reporters' communications in BALCO probe — SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — E-mails seized by federal authorities identify the convicted founder of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative as a source in the San Francisco Chronicle's reporting on the steroids scandal …
Discussion:
Baseball Musings
