Top News:
Lyle Spencer / MLB.com:
Maine pushes NLCS to the limit — Rookie throws 5 1/3 scoreless innings to force decisive Game 7 — NEW YORK — For Mets fans, there is nothing quite so romantic as a Game 6 in October. — That flame that reached so many hearts in 1986 with a double dose of Game 6 magic was ignited again …
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Murray Chass / New York Times:
Living on High Wire to Stay Alive — Baseball is such a wonderfully unpredictable game. I tell you the Mets' chances of staying alive in their league playoff series against St. Louis depend on their rookie pitcher, John Maine, and you say no way, no chance.
Ronald Blum / Associated Press:
NY Mets 4, St. Louis 2 — NEW YORK (AP) — With the New York Mets on the brink of elimination, John Maine pitched a game to remember. — The rookie dominated the St. Louis Cardinals with the poise of a veteran, Jose Reyes sparked the offense with a leadoff home run and the Mets rock 'n' rolled …
Discussion:
Rays of Light
Joel Sherman / New York Post:
A-ROD RUMOR MILL IS JUST GETTING STARTED — This is where the Cubs re-enter the discussion. It is near impossible to see realistically how Chicago can blow the Yanks away. The ESPN report indicated a deal for Rodriguez could include Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez. Which would be one neat trick.
Discussion:
Pinstripe Alley
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Will Leitch / New York Times:
Birds of Pray — ON Oct. 3, the first day of baseball's playoffs, a columnist for The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Bob Rybarczyk, wrote that he was looking forward to the St. Louis Cardinals' impending postseason "much like a green-legged Civil War soldier watches the guy walking around with the saw."
Richard Griffin / Toronto Star:
Macha not a true believer — A's canned him because he wasn't a Moneyball guy — Oct. 18, 2006. — On Monday, Ken Macha became the sixth major-league manager fired since Oct. 1. A's GM Billy Beane, in making the announcement, claimed there was a "disconnect on a lot of levels."
Discussion:
FIRE JOE MORGAN
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Don Burke / New Jersey Online:
Acta, Manuel waiting to get interview calls — ST. LOUIS — Formal requests for interviews have not yet been made. This is baseball, however, where much of what goes on is done through back channels and clandestine conversations. — One of these days, perhaps as soon as today …
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Sports Illustrated:
Not Easy Being Green — It's been a tough series for Shawn Green. He hasn't done much at the plate, producing only one extra-base hit and one RBI in five games. Last night, he failed to come through with a clutch hit with runners on second and third base in a 4-2 game in the eighth inning.
Discussion:
Dodger Thoughts
Associated Press:
To die for? MLB fans can take team devotion to grave — PHILADELPHIA — In the heat of passion, many crazed baseball fans have said they would die for a championship. But are they willing to take that devotion to the grave? — With a new venture that will put Major League Baseball team logos …
Ian Browne / MLB.com:
Notes: Red Sox mum on '07 plans — Team keeping quiet about what it plans to do to fill holes — BOSTON — Perhaps, as ace Curt Schilling predicted a month ago, the Red Sox will open the vault this winter and pay less attention to payroll and the collective bargaining tax.
Discussion:
Fenway Fables
Baseball America:
Hawaii Winter Baseball Feature: Eric Campbell — HONOLULU—He has proven power and shown he can swipe a few bases. But infielder Eric Campbell is looking to improve on another aspect of his game: his approach at the plate. — Campbell is among four players from the Braves' farm system playing …
Discussion:
Talking Chop
Paul Lukas / ESPN:
Photo reveals double curse in '86 — If you want to imbue a discussion with an air of gravitas, you start by identifying the main character by his full name: George Herman Ruth. Dwight David Eisenhower. Homer Jay Simpson. — So consider the case of one William Joseph Buckner …
Discussion:
A Red Sox Fan …
Joe Sheehan / Baseball Prospectus:
Prospectus Today — Decisions — If the Mets let the Cardinals back into this series with one bad pitch last Friday night in New York, they gave up control of it with one bad decision last night. — With one out in the eighth inning of a 4-2 game, David Wright finally had a big hit …
Baseball America:
Arizona Fall League Feature: Brent Clevlen — PHOENIX—Like just about everyone else in Detroit this season, Brent Clevlen touched a little bit of gold during his time with the Tigers. — Clevlen's first few days in the major leagues gave him a perfect lead-in to his career highlight reel.
Discussion:
The Detroit Tiger Weblog
Adam McCalvy / MLB.com:
Brewers begin coaching search — Team looking to fill vacant first-base and hitting-coach spots — MILWAUKEE — The Brewers have begun interviewing candidates for the vacant hitting coach and first-base coach positions, but at least one prominent name from the organization's past was not on the list.
Discussion:
Brew Crew Ball
Thomas Harding / MLB.com:
Notes: Reynolds ahead of the game — Rockies' first-round pick in 2006 displaying flashes of potential — DENVER — Right-handed pitcher Greg Reynolds is back in school at Stanford these days, pushing toward an economics degree, but for the past few months, he was acing the introductory section of his professional career.
Discussion:
Purple Row
Murray Chass / New York Times:
St. Louis Takes Potency From Met Lineup — The Mets, who like advertising slogans, had an unspoken but acted-out motto this year: score early and score often. It's a simple thought, but the Mets have apparently forgotten it in the National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
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Bernie Miklasz / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Cardinals put Mets' aging artist on canvas
Cardinals put Mets' aging artist on canvas
Discussion:
The Musings and Prophecies …