Top News:
Matthew Leach / MLB.com:
Reyes on, Marquis off NLCS roster — Rookie likely to start Game 4 at Busch Stadium — NEW YORK — The Cardinals made just one change to their roster from the Division Series to this week's National League Championship Series, but it was a significant one.
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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.
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'
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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Jeff Sackmann / Hardball Times:
NLCS Preview: Mets vs. Cardinals — Six years ago, the New York Mets and the St. Louis Cardinals met in the NLCS. That year, too, one team swept the short NLDS, the other won in four games. The Mets, of course, were on their way to the 2000 subway series and blew past the Cardinals in five games.
Rick Hummel / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:Rivalry is rich in memories
Discussion:
The Eddie Kranepool Society
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.
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Mark Herrmann / Newsday:
Chavez enjoying all the attention — People in Venezuela are very excited about Endy Chavez these days, which is understandable because that is home for him. The upset is that people are more excited about him in New York, which has become more of a home than he had expected.
Discussion:
Hot Foot
Joe Strauss / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:Underdog Cardinals are ready to take on the Big Apple
Discussion:
MLB.com
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.
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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 …
Jim Caple / ESPN:
Tigers get big boost from little-known Inge … OAKLAND, Calif. — Some things in baseball, like organ music and Jim Palmer's hair, are constants. Consider the No. 9 hitter, who is always: — A) The nose-picking kid you pick last on the sandlot and stick in right field and when he bats …
Discussion:
Cutoff Man
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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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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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Jay Jaffe / Baseball Prospectus:
Playoff Prospectus — NLCS Preview — The beginning of the postseason marked a chance for Willie Randolph's Mets to consummate something the baseball world had anticipated for at least four months, the chance to show that their regular-season dominance was no fluke.
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 …
