Top News:
Lee Jenkins / New York Times:
With Bat and Emotions, Delgado Shines in Debut — Carlos Delgado and David Wright were walking through a hallway outside the Mets' clubhouse last night when Wright unintentionally summed up Game 1 of the National League division series: — "Man," he said, "you hit hard."
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Newsday:
Wallace Matthews — Manage to win despite Randolph — Going into their first playoff game in six years, the Mets had plenty to worry about. — They had a rotation as thin as Chris Woodward's hair, an emergency starter on the mound and two eager but callow kids, Jose Reyes and David Wright …
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 …
Richard Sandomir / New York Times:
Scully Recalls the Daffy Days of Brooklyn — The play, in which two Los Angeles Dodgers were tagged out in succession yesterday by Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca after a single by Russell Martin, was perfectly set up for Vin Scully, working solo in the cramped visitors' radio booth at Shea Stadium.
Discussion:
Metsblog.com
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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.
Contra Costa Times:
Now comes the really hard part — MINNEAPOLIS - Here's an absolute certainty, one that's right there in the pecking order with death and taxes and lost fly balls in the White Bubble Dome: No team does postseason, inside-the-park home runs against a backdrop of homer hankies the way the A's do.
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Amy K. Nelson / ESPN:
Padres a loose, confident bunch … SAN DIEGO — There are no crazy cowboys, Dominican midgets or Jack Daniels-slinging sessions before the first pitch. But step into the San Diego Padres' clubhouse and you might need to rub your eyes twice for a reminder that you're on the West Coast, and not in Fenway Park's 2004 locker room.
Discussion:
Gaslamp Ball
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Dallas Morning News:
Showalter move shows GM is in charge — ARLINGTON - On one of his better days as a baseball owner Wednesday, Tom Hicks was nowhere in sight. — Hicks, whose success as a hockey owner has not been duplicated in his nine years with the Rangers, took a step toward respectability in baseball …
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NY Daily News:
ESPN beyond 'Redemption' — The anxiety level was high. Seventh inning. Nomar Garciaparra at the plate facing Guillermo Mota. Mets 4, Dodgers 2. Two outs. Bases loaded. — Gary Thorne, ESPN's play-by-play man, called it one of "those key" moments in a playoff game and perhaps the entire Dodgers-Mets division series.
Baseball America:
Florida State League Top 20 Prospects List — Subscribers can read scouting reports on all 20 players (Click here to subscribe) — The high Class A Florida State League always has been a nightmare for hitters. Spacious major league spring-training parks turn home runs into long outs …
Discussion:
Viva El Birdos
Bill Plaschke / Los Angeles Times:
Little Decides to Use Penny, and Dodgers Pay the Price — NEW YORK — It was nuts. It was chaos. It was completely avoidable. — I'm not talking about J.D. Drew's decision to tailgate Jeff Kent into home plate in the second inning. — I'm talking about Grady Little decision to drive Brad Penny off a cliff in the seventh.
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 …
Mike Penner / Los Angeles Times:
L.A.-N.Y. rivalry is for the ages — As the Dodgers and the New York Mets embark on a new episode in their far-reaching saga, what are the greatest moments in the history of the Los Angeles-New York sports rivalry? — It depends on which coast is your vantage point.
Dom Amore / Hartford Courant:
Randy Earns Wings For Detroit Flight — NEW YORK — Randy Johnson threw another session in the bullpen Wednesday, then left for Detroit. His scheduled start for the Yankees in Game 3 of the Division Series Friday is still a go. — "He threw 30-35 pitches and he's on his way," manager Joe Torre said.
Discussion:
WasWatching.com
Metsfan / Mets Geek:
Weis, Mora, Pratt and ??? — Perhaps because they are so unexpected, surprise October performances by unlikely heroes seem even more prevalent than examples of the game's biggest stars shining on the postseason stage. Mets history is littered with such unlikely icons, with the predictable …
Jeff Sackmann / Hardball Times:
Eight Ugly Options — When attached to long-term contracts, club options are strange things. In a sense, they are a way for a team to say, "Just in case you perform beyond our wildest dreams, we want to have the chance to pay you another 15 million bucks. You know, when you're 38."
St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Cards Notebook: DeWitt gives nod to La Russa — SAN DIEGO — Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt underscored the organization's satisfaction with manager Tony La Russa's performance this season, saying there was "never any thought given" to reviewing the skipper's status had the club not held on to win the National League Central title.
Discussion:
Ben Maller's Sports …
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 …
