Top News:
Ben Shpigel / New York Times:
Maine Starts Game 1 for Mets, Then It's All Hands on Deck — The Mets were missing two pitching aces. They were starting a rookie on a few hours' notice in their first postseason game in six years. The only thing on their side yesterday was the crowd. They were conscious of the challenge …
Discussion:
Hot Foot
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Associated Press:
Delgado nearly perfect as Mets take Game 1 — NEW YORK (AP) - Carlos Delgado hammered the ball all over the field in his playoff debut. David Wright also delivered, and the pitching-depleted New York Mets looked like October regulars during their first postseason game since 2000. — FOX Bite
NY Daily News:
Willie pens the right moves — Willie Randolph always took offense to whispers that he had missed out on another managerial job because he had been unprepared in his interview - never more so than when he heard the Mets rejected him in favor of Art Howe four years ago for that reason.
Discussion:
Metsblog.com
Marty Noble / MLB.com:
Mets' bats help secure Game 1 win — Delgado's four hits, Wright's two doubles back pitching — NEW YORK — Whatever gloom and doom had seeped into the Mets' universe because of the recent injuries could have weakened them even more than the injuries and undermined their plans for the National League's postseason tournament.
Discussion:
Always Amazin'
Jayson Stark / ESPN:
Some kind of blunderful for Dodgers … NEW YORK — Postseasons don't always turn on magical October moments, on Kirk Gibson-esque swings of the bat, on Bob Gibson-esque pitchers taking over games with their bionic arms. — No, sirree. Sometimes, postseasons turn on happenstances right out of the Three Stooges playbook.
Discussion:
Faith and Fear in Flushing
Toni Ginnetti / Chicago Sun Times:
Ripple effect could manage to reach Cubs — Changes on the field could stretch to changes off the field for the Cubs as baseball's managerial landscape continued to evolve Wednesday. — The latest firing took place in Texas, where the Rangers dismissed manager Buck Showalter after four years …
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Fred Mitchell / Chicago Tribune:In the homestretch? — Girardi is building house in Lake Forest
Discussion:
GROTA
Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com:
Bonds feeling great after surgery — Slugger says he's OK with not playing next year — SAN DIEGO — Giants slugger Barry Bonds had bone chips and a bone spur removed from his left elbow on Monday, he told MLB.com on Wednesday when reached by telephone at his home in Beverly Hills.
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San Francisco Chronicle:
Bradley 'Coffeegate' incident a big deal to ESPN, no one else — (10-04) 15:41 PDT Minneapolis — The power of postseason baseball is that everything is a big deal. The more enduring power is that winning postseason baseball renders all those big deals to be not so big after all. — Thus, Milton Bradley.
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Jim Caple / ESPN:
Hunter has no explanation for miscue … MINNEAPOLIS — Fortunately for most of us, when we make costly, embarrassing mistakes, they aren't shown on national television. Over and over and over again. In slow motion. With a broadcaster explaining in detail exactly how we screwed up.
Joe Sheehan / Baseball Prospectus:
Prospectus Today — Division Series, Day One — The big story was the continuing tear of Frank Thomas, who hit two homers to account for the early lead and the insurance run in the ninth inning. What is most impressive about the two shots is how different the pitches were …
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Free Lance-Star:
Beasley waits and wonders — STEVE DeSHAZO: In limbo, Beasley awaits his future — WASHINGTON—The season began with Tony Beasley's decision to send a runner who was called out at home. It may end with Beasley out of a job. — In between, there's little the Bowling Green native …
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Murray Chass / New York Times:
Injuries Can't Dent Randolph's Playoff Passion — Here it was the day before the start of the 18th postseason of Willie Randolph's October-filled career, and he entered the interview room down the hall from the home clubhouse at Shea Stadium for what should have been a proud, glorious moment.
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Jeff Horrigan / Boston Herald:
Yanks still feasting off sweep of Sox — NEW YORK - What transpired at Fenway Park Aug. 18-21 will go down as the low point of the Red Sox' season, if not the new century. — For the New York Yankees, however, their first five-game sweep in Boston since 1943 catapulted them past the Sox …
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Rob Maaddi / Associated Press:
Phillies let go 3 coaches — PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies let go three coaches on Tuesday, an indication manager Charlie Manuel will keep his job for another year. — First-base coach Marc Bombard, third-base coach Bill Dancy and bench coach Gary Varsho …
Discussion:
A CITIZEN'S BLOG
Mike Berardino / Sun-Sentinel:
Willis, Cabrera may command a combined $12.5M — · Fredi Gonzalez had only been introduced as Marlins manager a few minutes earlier when he faced the first hard question of his fresh tenure. — Was he confident Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera would be part of his roster in 2007?
Discussion:
FishStripes
