Top News:
Ronald Blum / Associated Press:
Park, Mets near deal on contract — NEW YORK (AP) — Chan Ho Park reached a preliminary agreement with the New York Mets on a $600,000, one-year contract, giving the team another option for its starting rotation heading into spring training. — His agreement was disclosed by two people familiar …
RELATED:
Ronald Blum / Los Angeles Times:
Chan Ho Park Reaches Deal With Mets — NEW YORK — Chan Ho Park is joining the expanding list of pitchers trying to earn spots in the New York Mets' rotation. Park and the Mets agreed Friday to a $600,000, one-year contract, giving the team another option for its starting rotation heading into spring training.
Discussion:
Catbird in the Nosebleed Seats
Adam Rubin / NY Daily News:
Mets are on the rise — Omar: New park, team built for future — They didn't match the Red Sox's posting bid for Daisuke Matsuzaka. They wouldn't go to the Giants' lengths to sign Barry Zito. Yet Mets GM Omar Minaya could still offer a chuckle yesterday. — "Put it this way," Minaya said.
Michael S. Schmidt / New York Times:
Williams Spurns Longshot Chance at Making Yanks' Roster — Bernie Williams came to this Connecticut town Friday night to play his guitar in a benefit concert at a church. He will be back home in Westchester County in the days to come. But where he will not be any time soon is in Tampa …
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George King / New York Post:
ONE MORE TIME — BERNIE EXPECTED TO TAKE ANOTHER SWING AT MAKING YANKEES ROSTER — While Bernie Williams, Brian Cashman and Scott Boras haven't confirmed Williams will be in the Yankees' camp, speculation was thick in the Tampa air yesterday that the Yankee icon would accept a minor league deal and battle for a roster spot.
Discussion:
Babes Love Baseball
Associated Press:
Hank Bauer dead at 84 — NEW YORK (AP) — Hank Bauer, the tough ex-Marine who set a World Series record with a 17-game hitting streak for the New York Yankees and later managed the Baltimore Orioles to the 1966 title, died Friday. He was 84. — Bauer died in the Kansas City area …
biz.yahoo.com:
Making Noise: Batter Up! Is Major League Baseball Prepping for an Interactive IPO? — Addition By Subtraction: There's a lot of talk these days about Major League Baseball striking a seven-year, $100 million per year deal to sell exclusive rights to its Extra Innings package of out-of-market games to DirecTV (NYSE: DTV - News).
Associated Press:
Beimel, Paul first two players in arbitration hearings — Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Joe Beimel and Tampa Bay backup catcher Josh Paul became the first two players to go to salary arbitration hearings this year. — Paul asked arbitrators Richard Bloch, Robert Bailey and Christine Knowlton for a raise from $475,000 to $940,000.
Discussion:
True Blue LA
goaztecs.cstv.com:
Baseball Defeats Santa Clara, 7-4, In Season Home Opener — Romero has home run, four RBI to spark Aztec offense — SAN DIEGO - San Diego State made the most of six hits and got another fine starting pitching performance from junior Donnie Hume as it defeated Santa Clara, 7-4, in its 2007 home opener Friday evening.
Discussion:
Ducksnorts
Barry Petchesky / New York Times:
Stoic Link to Baseball History Stands Guard — Once upon a time in Brooklyn, they used to play baseball here. — Tucked away among ancient factories and garages is a massive relic of the Dodgers' old ballpark. Not Ebbets Field, but Washington Park, where Brooklyn played before moving to Flatbush.
Discussion:
The Griddle
Ronald Blum / Associated Press:
Baseballs to keep their cool — NEW YORK (AP) — Baseballs will keep their cool this summer. — The commissioner's office is telling teams for the first time that balls must be stored at a uniform temperature after they are delivered from the manufacturer.
Jeff Passan / Yahoo! Sports:
Rookies have big shoes to fill — When historians look back at the 2006 season, they might not fixate on what actually happened during it. What last year begat - the greatest rookie class in perhaps 25 years - should be a greater gift than the pleasure of watching Ryan Howard blast 58 home runs …
Associated Press:
Braves pitcher, wife mutually agree to split — ATLANTA — Braves pitcher John Smoltz is getting a divorce. — The agency that represents Smoltz, Career Sports & Entertainment, said Friday that the pitcher and his wife, Dyan, had mutually agreed to split after some 16 years of marriage.
Nate Silver / Baseball Prospectus:
...and the Best (Young) Outfields — As a follow-up to PECOTA's take on the best infields that we ran yesterday, we can perform the analysis for the best long-term outfields in the majors. — As outfields tend to be a bit more interchangeable, we're going to change the rules slightly …
John Sickels / Minor League Ball:
Thinking About Tyler Clippard — Here is what I wrote about Tyler Clippard in the book this year: — Others have similar views. My friend Deric McKamey in his 2007 Minor League Baseball Analyst rates Clippard as a potential number five starter, and points out that he gets his strikeouts …
