Top News:
Jack Curry / New York Times:
Struggling in October, Rodriguez Finds It's All a Blur — Alex Rodriguez swung and missed, feebly, at Joel Zumaya's 101-mile-an-hour fastball and then behaved like a 7-year-old who had to put away his toys before dinner. He neatly placed his batting gloves and elbow guard inside his helmet and gave them to a batboy.
Discussion:
The Soxaholix
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Ira Podell / Associated Press:
A-Rod goes 0-for-4 with 3 Ks as Yankees drop Game 2 to Tigers
A-Rod goes 0-for-4 with 3 Ks as Yankees drop Game 2 to Tigers
Discussion:
FIRE JOE MORGAN
Barry Svrluga / Washington Post:
Nats Contact Braves About Pendleton — The Washington Nationals' search for a replacement for ousted manager Frank Robinson has turned to Terry Pendleton, a former batting champion and the hitting coach for the Atlanta Braves, where he once played and worked under Nationals President Stan Kasten.
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Barry Svrluga / Washington Post:
Nats' Offseason Focus Is Soriano, New Manager
Nats' Offseason Focus Is Soriano, New Manager
Discussion:
Ben Maller's Sports …
Juan C. Rodriguez / Sun-Sentinel:
Kranitz may stay if he chooses — Joe Girardi is gone, but the Marlins want the pitching coach he brought to stay. — New manager Fredi Gonzalez spoke with Rick Kranitz on Wednesday, and indications are the Marlins want him back. First-base coach Perry Hill and hitting coach Jim Presley are strong holdover candidates.
Discussion:
FishStripes
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Joe Capozzi / Palm Beach Post:
Latin players welcome Gonzalez's hiring — MIAMI GARDENS — Shortstop Hanley Ramirez hardly could contain his excitement when he learned that Fredi Gonzalez had been hired as the new manager of the Marlins. — Ramirez came to Dolphin Stadium on Tuesday and interrupted Gonzalez's interview session …
Discussion:
FishStripes
Evan Grant / Dallas Morning News:
Rangers players aren't surprised — Players say they had a feeling Showalter's firing was coming — ARLINGTON - Hours after Buck Showalter was fired Wednesday morning, Rangers players spoke volumes about their relationship with him. They did it with what they didn't say.
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball
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Kat O'Brien / Dallas Star-Telegram:
Rangers' search might stay inside
Rangers' search might stay inside
Discussion:
Dallas Morning News
Jack Curry / New York Times:
Rogers Hopes to Find Comfort Zone vs. Yanks — When Manager Joe Torre wrote about Kenny Rogers in his book in 1997, he called Rogers "one of the most difficult players I ever managed." Torre did not put Rogers in what he called "the Ed Whitson category," but he said he felt Rogers lacked confidence.
Discussion:
Pinstripe Alley
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Rob / 6-4-2:
The Hunt For The Precioussss: Division Series Day 3 — Victory Through Superior Tigerpower: Tigers 4, Yankees 3 — The Kittycats did that which the Dodgers could not, chasing their opponents off the field on the road with a victory in hand, ensuring a split going home to Detroit.
Ben Shpigel / New York Times:
Glavine Pitches Like an Ace, Small Ball Does the Rest — José Reyes, who was 1 for 3 with a walk, after he hit a single in the sixth inning. Reyes also had two runs batted in. — As the Mets started confronting life without Pedro Martínez and Orlando Hernández, a 290-game winner lurked in the background.
Discussion:
Hot Foot
Josh Suchon / Contra Costa Times:
A's need one victory to end 0-9 skid of losing clinchers — Terrence Long lost a ball in the sun. Jeremy Giambi didn't slide. F.P. Santangelo muffed a routine grounder. Practically the entire team contributed to the worst defensive inning of all-time. — Billy Koch served up a back-breaking, ninth-inning home run.
Discussion:
Baseball Musings
Gordon Edes / Boston Globe:
Martínez undergoes rotator cuff surgery — NEW YORK — Former Red Sox doctor Bill Morgan was present as an observer when pitcher Pedro Martínez underwent surgery yesterday to repair a torn rotator cuff. Mets doctors David Altchek and Struan Coleman repaired the supraspinatus tendon …
Bernie Wilson / Associated Press:
Popgun Padres down to last gasp — Offense again MIA as Friars fall 2-0; head to St. Louis trying to avoid sweep — SAN DIEGO - Getting out of September intact was the hard part for the St. Louis Cardinals, who clinched a division title while stuck in reverse. — And the San Diego Padres?
Discussion:
Gaslamp Ball
Fox Sports:
After Game 2, all signs point to Detroit — Ladies and gentlemen, we have a series. — The Tigers prevailed Thursday in what was, at its core, a must-win affair for the Motown Nine. Going down 2-0 against the demonstrably superior Yankees would've all but snuffed out their World Series aspirations.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Pirates Q&A with Dejan Kovacevic — Q: Fred-dy! Fred-dy! — David Sculley of Sewickley — KOVACEVIC: Yeah, this just in: Freddy Sanchez is good. — Welcome, one and all, to the season-ending Q&A — a little longer than usual, so that it can be spread over several of the next few Fridays …
Discussion:
Honest Wagner
Jim Caple / ESPN:
On a bad wing and a prayer … Minnesota fans — especially those who hung tough through those long, grim days of the Twins' not-so-recent past — will cross their fingers, knock on wood, toss salt over their shoulders and pray that Brad Radke's shoulder stays in place Friday afternoon.
Andrew Marchand / New York Post:
A DIAMONDBACK IN THE ROUGH — SNAKES' BYRNES A TV HIT — The Diamondbacks' Eric Byrnes came across like a future TV star in his guest appearances on ESPN's Baseball Tonight this week. Now the Phillies' Jimmy Rollins steps into the TV batter's box as a guest analyst on Fox Sports' weekend studio show.
Discussion:
WasWatching.com
Adam McCalvy / MLB.com:
Notes: Brewers claim Balfour from Reds — Righty spent 2005 and much of '06 recovering from surgery — SAN DIEGO — The Brewers have begun stocking arms for 2007, claiming right-hander Grant Balfour off waivers from Cincinnati on Thursday. — Balfour, who turns 29 in December …
Discussion:
Brew Crew Ball