Top News:
ESPN:
Report: Piniella agrees to manage Cubs — CHICAGO — Lou Piniella apparently will take his fiery brand of managing to "the Windy City." — Chicago radio station ESPN 1000 reported Monday that the Chicago Cubs have agreed to a three-year deal with Piniella.
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Chris De Luca / Chicago Sun Times:
Tuesday is Lou's day: Announcement near — Cubs ready to introduce Piniella as manager — Negotiations between the Cubs and their top managerial candidate advanced so quickly Sunday, the team expects to complete talks today and introduce Lou Piniella as their new manager by Tuesday, according to team and industry sources.
Discussion:
Brew Crew Ball, The Cub Reporter, Purple Row, Baseball Musings, Lone Star Ball and Pride of the Yankees
Contra Costa Times:
More of same is not a bad thing — The A's weren't even an hour into their offseason Saturday night when general manager Billy Beane was cornered outside the locker room for a quick state-of-the-what comes next address. — Barry Zito's hair still hadn't dried from his postgame shower.
Discussion:
Baseball Musings
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Susan Slusser / San Francisco Chronicle:A'S AFTER THE ALCS: Speculation on Macha's Future Manager out the door?
Joe Stiglich / Mercury News:A's will face familiar task with the roster in off-season
Discussion:
6-4-2
Mike Fitzpatrick / Associated Press:
From minor league mess to New York Mets savior: Perez comes up big in Game 4 — ST. LOUIS (AP) — Oliver Perez was a perfect mess back in July, struggling in the minor leagues with the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates. — His mechanics were all out of whack, his mind was even more mixed up …
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Adam Rubin / NY Daily News:
El Duque wants to take on the World — ST. LOUIS - Orlando Hernandez predicted he would be ready for the World Series. That is, of course, if the Mets advance. — El Duque threw a 50-pitch bullpen session yesterday, his first activity on a mound since tearing his right-calf muscle …
New York Post:
TRACH STOCK DROPS — STEVE PULLED SELF FROM GAME 3 — Steve Trachsel missed time at the end of the regular season due to personal reasons, so the Mets were already down on him. Now his stock with the team has dropped further. — In his horrible Game 3 start against the Cardinals on Saturday …
Murray Chass / New York Times:
Shadow From a Miserable Night Still Hangs Over Trachsel — From anguish to elation, from disgust to delight, from Steve Trachsel to Oliver Pérez. — The Mets are tied with the St. Louis Cardinals at two games each in the National League Championship Series because Pérez unexpectedly …
Evan Grant / Dallas Morning News:
Ex-Ranger added to list of managerial candidates — Russell, four others set to begin interview process — The Rangers will begin the interviewing process for their managerial vacancy this week. The pool of candidates has grown to five. — Former Ranger John Russell …
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T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com:
Russell added to list of candidates — Former Rangers catcher played for the club from 1990-93 — ARLINGTON — Former Rangers catcher John Russell has been added to the list of candidates to replace Buck Showalter as manager. — Russell was the 2006 International League Manager of the Year …
Benjamin Hoffman / New York Times:
Beyond the Tumult, Rodriguez Is a Key Contributor — In the wake of the Yankees' failure to win the American League division series against Detroit — topping a six-year streak without a World Series title — no player has felt the fans' ire more than Alex Rodriguez.
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T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com:
Mailbag: Rangers need starting pitching — Beat writer T.R. Sullivan answers Rangers fans' questions — There were many letters this week with the manager's situation being the No. 1 topic on people's minds. Actually there were very few questions about the manager search …
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball
Jan Hubbard / TwinCities.com:
Tigers show how it's done — Key ingredients: money management, good health, a smart GM and a new manager — DETROIT — If any would-be World Series contenders are looking for a franchise role model, there are none better than the Detroit Tigers, who are a testament to good management — and a good manager.
Discussion:
Baseball Musings
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Joe Strauss / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Cards' bullpen suffers meltdown in 12-5 loss to Mets — A flawless bullpen, an immaculate defense and a manager on a gambler's rush brought the Cardinals to Busch Stadium on Sunday night in control of the New York Mets and their National League Championship Series. — Then the fifth inning happened, and then the sixth.
Discussion:
Viva El Birdos
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MLB.com:
Red Sox appoint John Farrell major league pitching coach — BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox today announced that John Farrell, Director of Player Development for the Cleveland Indians, has been appointed as the team's major league pitching coach. — The announcement was made by Executive …
Chris Constancio / Hardball Times:
Hughes, Bailey, and Gallardo — In another ten years, we might look back on the 2006 season as the season when a new generation of exciting young pitchers made their major league debut. Today, I would like to take a closer look at three young pitchers who are still in the minor leagues.
Anthony McCarron / NY Daily News:
Belliard runs into rally Endy — ST. LOUIS - Buried behind the flurry of Met homers, David Wright's emergence from an October slump and Oliver Perez's pitching performance last night was a small, but vital, play that happened long before Game 4 became all about slugging.
Discussion:
Metsblog.com
Boston Globe:
Lyons fired by Fox — Hispanic remarks called insensitive — Former Red Sox utilityman Steve Lyons was fired by Fox after he made what the network deemed insensitive racial remarks Friday during the telecast of Game 3 of the ALCS. — Lyons directed the remarks at Lou Piniella …
