Top News:
Gil LeBreton / Dallas Star-Telegram:
Rangers study satanic verses — In the Broadway musical Damn Yankees, Joe Boyd sells his soul to the devil in exchange for the slugging home run hitter that his favorite team, the Washington Senators, so direly needs. — In the Arlington soap opera known as the Texas Rangers, brace yourself - the devil is on the shopping list.
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David Lennon / Newsday:
Second choice not tops — Mixed reviews on Igawa after so-so effort against major leaguers — OSAKA, Japan - As the hype surrounding Daisuke Matsuzaka has escalated, many teams were beginning to believe that the Hanshin Tigers' Kei Igawa might be a more attractive pitching option.
Dallas Morning News:
Rangers must make a pitch for Japan's Matsuzaka — Bobby Valentine had a long-distance question from Japan, where he manages a baseball team and hawks sandwiches and serves as an icon of sorts. — "Are you trying to get the Rangers a Japanese pitcher over there?" — Actually, yes.
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball
Kat O'Brien / Dallas Star-Telegram:
RANGERS NOTES — Howe likely to be bench coach — Ron Washington appears close to making his first move as the Rangers' new manager — hiring Art Howe as bench coach. — The Rangers interviewed Howe on Tuesday, and Rangers general manager Jon Daniels confirmed via e-mail Tuesday night …
Michael Morrissey / New York Post:
BATTLE OF THE BIDS — YANKEES, METS MAKE PITCHES FOR MATSUZAKA — The Subway Series might be a neighborhood stickball game compared to this. — The Yankees and Mets are expected to submit highly competitive bids on Japanese superstar pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka by 5 p.m. today …
Discussion:
Pride of the Yankees
Evan Grant / Dallas Morning News:
Howe will join Rangers — Ex-Athletics manager gives Washington a veteran bench coach — Pending some paperwork, former big league manager Art Howe today will join the staff of new Rangers manager Ron Washington as bench coach. — Rangers general manager Jon Daniels, who met with Howe on Tuesday …
Discussion:
Dallas Star-Telegram
Chris De Luca / Chicago Sun Times:Cubs are bid players in Matsuzaka derby
Discussion:
The View From The Bleachers
Jeff Zrebiec / Associated Press:Benson likely to stay with O's in 2007
Discussion:
MLB Trade Rumors
Ian Browne / MLB.com:
MLB completes sweep with walk-off — FUKUOKA, Japan — In the United States, it has become universally known as the walk-off homer. Here in Japan, the adjective they use for a game-ending blast is "sayonara". — On behalf of all the Major League All-Stars who wreaked havoc here for the past week …
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Associated Press:
Reyes walk-off HR completes MLB sweep of Japan — FUKUOKA, Japan — Jose Reyes hit a walkoff, two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th inning Wednesday to give the MLB All-Stars a 5-3 victory over the Japan stars and a sweep of the five-game series. — Bill Hall singled before Reyes homered …
Discussion:
The700Level.com
Ken Davidoff / Newsday:
Suspended Mota still might be in plans for pen — The Mets still have significant interest in re-signing Guillermo Mota, despite last week's revelation that the reliever will miss the first 50 games of 2007 after failing a test for performance-enhancing drugs.
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com
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Murray Chass / New York Times:
Mets Mull Prospects for Pitching — When Carlos Delgado signed with Florida as a free agent two years ago, he said he chose the Marlins over the Mets because he felt they had a better chance of getting to the World Series. Delgado is a top-notch run producer, but a top-notch prognosticator he is not.
Barry Svrluga / Washington Post:
Managerial Search Continues — There is, perhaps, but one thing that is clear about the Washington Nationals' search for a new manager: It knows no bounds. When Stan Kasten, the team's president, first addressed the search for Frank Robinson's replacement five weeks ago, he pledged that it would be "thorough."
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Bill Shaikin / Los Angeles Times:
Garciaparra 'open' to third, outfield — Whether he returns to the Dodgers or joins another team, first base is not necessarily the first option for Nomar Garciaparra. — The Dodgers on Tuesday signed utility infielder Ramon Martinez to a one-year contract worth $800,000 …
Discussion:
Dodger Thoughts
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Joe Posnanski / Kansas City Star:
Pitcher of the year? In KC? — A few years ago a reporter told me a story I've since forgotten. Along the way, though, he mentioned that he had covered the Great Alaska Shootout and he had to vote for a first and second all-star team. This haunted me for weeks — this idea that there was a second-team All-Great Alaska Shootout.
Discussion:
Baseball Musings
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Troy E. Renck / Denver Post:
Cockrell a hit with Rockies — When Alan Cockrell lost the Rockies' hitting instructor position after a five-month stint during the 2002 season, he headed 63 miles down Interstate 25 to take over as boss of the Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox offense. Four years later …
Discussion:
Purple Row
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Baseball Prospectus:
Under The Knife — The Dick Martin Award for 2006 — It's exciting to me that teams now wait for the Dick Martin Award. I have received e-mails and calls not only from teams, but readers and listeners wondering just how the award came out this year. I'm even more excited that the DMA …
Discussion:
El Lefty Malo
Associated Press:
Former star pitcher Johnny Sain dead at 89 — DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. (AP) — Johnny Sain, a three-time All-Star who teamed with Warren Spahn to make up one of baseball's most fabled pitching tandems, died Tuesday. He was 89. — Sain's best year was 1948, when he and Hall of Famer Spahn led …
Barry Jackson / Miami Herald:
Shalala apologizes for UM fans' behavior — In the wake of last month's UM-FIU brawl, another embarrassing situation at the Orange Bowl has prompted another apology from University of Miami president Donna Shalala. — Quarterback Kyle Wright's father, Ken, said Shalala called him Monday …
