Top News:
Marty Noble / MLB.com:
Floyd on NLCS roster — Outfielder passes Randolph's test; backup Hernandez added — NEW YORK — The Mets, who often speak of playing aggressively and basing decisions on what can go right rather than what might go wrong, have established a roster for the National League Championship Series that reflects that philosophy.
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Rick Hummel / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Rivalry is rich in memories — NEW YORK — It has been 20 years since the New York Mets won the World Series, and the differences between the 1986 Mets and this year's potential champions are as many as the changes in the game itself in the past two decades.
Discussion:
The Eddie Kranepool Society
Tim Marchman / New York Sun:
Expect the Mets To Win the Pennant — While you might not have been able to tell by reading the papers the last few days, the best baseball team in New York is still playing, and they're going to win the pennant. — It was clear from the first days of his tenure with the Mets that Willie Randolph …
Discussion:
Always Amazin'
Bernie Miklasz / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Don Tony's Cards resist mob mentality — NEW YORK — Apparently the NLCS is over, even before it begins. Here is the itinerary that's been planned for the Cardinals: Take the 7 Train to Shea Stadium, then get run over and flattened by the Mets Express. Just go home, and save yourself some trouble.
Discussion:
Can't Stop The Bleeding
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Joe Strauss / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:Underdog Cardinals are ready to take on the Big Apple
Discussion:
MLB.com
Sam Borden / NY Daily News:
Surgery ahead for Unit's back — Randy Johnson almost certainly will have back surgery in the coming weeks to repair a herniated disk, and it's possible that he may not be ready to start spring training on time, GM Brian Cashman said yesterday. — Still, the Big Unit is expected to be ready for Opening Day.
Discussion:
Pride of the Yankees
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Tyler Kepner / New York Times:
Torre Keeps Job, but Stays on the Hot Seat — The curtain has dropped on the annual fall passion play in the Bronx. The roles were different this time, but the ending was the same as always. Joe Torre is still the manager of the Yankees. — After last October's first-round playoff elimination …
Associated Press:
Yankees' Johnson, Giambi likely to have surgery — NEW YORK — As if the Yankees didn't have enough to announce, general manager Brian Cashman said Randy Johnson probably will have surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back and Jason Giambi likely will have an operation to repair a torn tendon in his left wrist.
Paul Sullivan / Chicago Tribune:
A-Rod could be back on radar — When Alex Rodriguez first was said to be available three years ago, the Cubs privately discussed bringing him from Texas to Wrigley Field. — It turned out to be all whispers and no action. Rodriguez still had $179 million and seven years remaining on his contract …
Discussion:
The Catbird …
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Chris De Luca / Chicago Sun Times:
Piniella likes 'challenge' of Cubs job — North Siders top his list; Rangers, Giants interested — OAKLAND, Calif. — If the Cubs want veteran manager Lou Piniella, the feeling appears to be mutual — especially with the New York Yankees no longer an option for 2007.
Kurt / Mack Avenue Tigers:
ALCS Game 1: Tigers win, but will it be costly? — The Tigers got on Barry Zito early for five runs and knocked him out in the fourth inning. Nate Robertson pitched five innings of shutout baseball. They weren't the most uneventful of innings, but the runs column still read 0 when Fernando Rodney came into the game.
Discussion:
The Pastime
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Providence Journal:
Red Sox Notebook: Arroyo's strategizing his return to the Red Sox — Bronson Arroyo may be in Cincinnati, but his heart is still in Boston. — In fact, he may already be planning his return. — "I still miss playing in that uniform, especially when I turn on the TV and they are 10 games …
Discussion:
The Catbird …
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Gordon Edes / Boston Globe:
One that got away — Scout recalls Red Sox passing on Pujols — NEW YORK — This is a story about how the Red Sox could have had Albert Pujols, the best righthanded hitter on the planet, came within minutes of drafting him, then at the last second passed.
Lee Jenkins / New York Times:
Reyes vs. Molina: A Game Within Games — If the National League Championship Series is reduced to a 90-foot race, the Mets should win by five-hundredths of a second. — This is the amount of time that José Reyes is working with when he tries to steal second base against Yadier Molina.
Discussion:
Hot Foot
Josh Levin / Slate:
In Search of Clutch Pitching — IS TOM GLAVINE THE BEST IN BASEBALL WHEN THE CHIPS ARE DOWN? — The baseball playoffs can drive even the most sensible minds to hyperbole. When you hear in the next few weeks that Albert Pujols is the best right-handed hitter ever, or that Jose Reyes …
Associated Press:
Reds fire hitting coach Chambliss — CINCINNATI (AP) — Cincinnati hitting coach Chris Chambliss was fired Wednesday after the Reds endured had an offensive slump in the last five weeks of the season and fell out of playoff contention. — Chambliss wasn't offered another contract …
Discussion:
The Catbird …
