Top News:
TwinCities.com:
Tender wrist likely won't stop Zumaya — The Tigers might have Joel Zumaya's heat even in the Midwest chill. — Detroit hopes the hard-throwing Zumaya will be ready for Game 3 of the American League Championship Series despite a tender wrist. — The rookie reliever injured …
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Peter Botte / NY Daily News:
Flat Albert — Rips Glavine, despite taking 0-fer — Albert Pujols was less than impressive in last night's NLCS opener. He was even less impressed with Mets starter Tom Glavine. — A peeved Pujols snapped at reporters following his -for-3 outing that included a costly baserunning blunder …
Discussion:
Baseball Musings
Ben Shpigel / New York Times:
Mets Take Game 1 of N.L.C.S., 2-0 — It is all one continuous bad dream for Cardinals Manager Tony LaRussa. He sees it in October, in the playoffs, when he looks in the batter's box, sees Carlos Beltrán standing there and then watches Beltrán's bat send a baseball into the deepest reaches of a ballpark.
Bob Herzog / Newsday:
Pujols left hitless and unimpressed with Glavine — With an expression of scorn and words of disdain, Albert Pujols was defiant in defeat last night. — The Cardinals' slugger, who went 0-for-3 with a walk, flipped his chair into the leg of a reporter gathered at his locker, turned his back …
Discussion:
Metsblog.com
Lee Jenkins / New York Times:In Battle of Sluggers, Beltrán Draws First Blood
Discussion:
The Feeding the Monster Blog
MLB.com:
Guillen: Comfortable at first — With our first baseman, Sean Casey, out of the lineup because of a torn muscle in his left leg, I moved from shortstop to first base, and will probably play there a lot in the American League Championship Series. It's not a new position to me.
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Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Nationals dismiss Soriano report — Rijo: Not privy to latest negotiations between club, outfielder — NEW YORK — Nationals president Stan Kasten and Jose Rijo, the team's assistant to general manager Jim Bowden, denied a report that quoted Rijo saying that left fielder Alfonso Soriano turned …
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Barry Svrluga / Washington Post:
Nats' Kasten Denies Credibility of Soriano Report — Washington Nationals President Stan Kasten said yesterday that he didn't give credence to a wire report saying left fielder Alfonso Soriano, a free agent to be, turned down a five-year, $70 million offer to stay in Washington.
Daniel Brown / Contra Costa Times:
Conditions turn frigid for ALCS — Detroit forecast calls for temperatures in upper 30s and possible snow flurries for Game 3 today — Robert Peary was such a celebrity in the fall of 1909, having completed an expedition to the North Pole, that the Detroit Tigers invited him to a World Series game.
Discussion:
Baseball Musings
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Contra Costa Times:
Starting Harden is not worth risk — DETROIT - Ask any baseball man what he hates most about his job, and he'll tell you it's a five-game series in Cleveland. But right after that, he'll tell you it's being second-guessed. — "Why did you bring in the left-hander?" "Why didn't you pinch-hit for the right-hander?"
Steve Henson / Los Angeles Times:
Dodgers' VP of Scouting Quits — Hired by a previous general manager and uncertain of his role in the new regime, Roy Smith resigned Thursday as Dodgers vice president of scouting and player development. — Smith, who had another year on his contract, made the decision during a meeting with General Manager Ned Colletti.
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Adam Rubin / NY Daily News:
Tom may take 5th vs. St. Louis — The Mets asked Major League Baseball to let them resubmit their NLCS roster yesterday morning, after a Game 1 rainout resulted in games scheduled on five straight days. MLB stood firm with its 10 a.m. Wednesday deadline, despite the series' first pitch being delayed by 24 hours.
Thomas Harding / MLB.com:
Rockies, Jennings talking extension — Right-hander posted second-lowest ERA in club history — DENVER — The Rockies are discussing a contract extension with right-handed pitcher Jason Jennings, who posted the second-lowest ERA in club history in 2006. — The Rockies hold …
Discussion:
Purple Row
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Associated Press:
Youth coach sentenced to prison — Downs offered kid money to bean autistic player — UNIONTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A youth baseball coach accused of offering an 8-year-old money to bean an autistic teammate so he couldn't play was sentenced Thursday to one to six years in prison.
Andrew Baggarly / Mercury News:
Piniella unlikely to wait for offer from Giants — NATIONALS, CUBS IN HUNT FOR HIM? — The Giants are lagging behind the Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals in their search for a manager, and a source close to prime candidate Lou Piniella said he wouldn't wait around to consider all offers.
Discussion:
Ben Maller's Sports …
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Melissa Lockard / Athletic Supporters:
Thud — It had a Hollywood-ending written all over it. A two-out rally that did just enough to bring up team MVP Frank Thomas to the plate as the winning run. I could even see his homerun trot in my mind. But it was not to be and now the A's have to be focusing on just trying to avoid being swept.
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New York Post:
5 QUESTIONS FOR MICHAEL KAY — This week, NYP TV Sports' Andrew Marchand spoke with Michael Kay. Kay, 45, is the voice of the Yankees on YES and hosts his own 1050-ESPN radio show. — Q: You have been outspoken about Joe Torre. What was your biggest beef? — A: I don't think he did a bad job at all during the season.
Baseball America:
International League Top 20 Prospects List — Subscribers can read scouting reports on all 20 players (Click here to subscribe) — Just two of the International League's top 10 prospects had played at the Triple-A level for any substantial amount of time prior to this season …
Chris Metinko / Contra Costa Times:
Coliseum lease deal is ready for signing — ALAMEDA COUNTY: Terms of the agreement extend Athletics' contract to 2010, possibly 2013 — Less than a month after team officials broke off talks to extend the Oakland Athletics' lease at McAfee Coliseum, a new deal seems all but complete.
Richard Sandomir / New York Times:
Clocking Pitches, Give or Take 3 M.P.H. — In George Plimpton's fantastical hoax in Sports Illustrated about a reclusive yogi and pitcher named Sidd Finch, he concocted a scene at spring training in 1985 in which the Mets measured the speed of the mystery man's fastball.
