Top News:
Newsday:
Wallace Matthews — Rap on knuckler feels good — If the commissioner of baseball truly wants to get to the bottom of one of the great mysteries of his game, he can shelve the steroid investigation and start looking into how Tim Wakefield has managed to get away with his act for the past 15 years.
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George King / New York Post:
WANG MAKES THINGS RIGHT — YANKS KEEP CHIEN UP; SOCK SOX IN OPENER — Two dry days don't guarantee a drunk is going to be sober forever. But sobriety has to start somewhere, and that's the genesis of the "One Day At A Time" recovery mantra. — For the Yankees, it's no longer about taking it two-dozen hours at a time.
Discussion:
Newsday, NY Daily News, KEYS TO THE GAME, The GYS Network, The Joy of Sox and The Soxaholix
Gordon Edes / Boston Globe:Alive and kicking — Yankees look sharp in taking opener vs. Sox
Discussion:
New York Times, Boston Herald, NY Daily News, Surviving Grady, Peter's Red Sox Forever and Bronx Banter
Associated Press:
Reds put Josh Hamilton on disabled list — CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cincinnati Reds recalled third baseman Edwin Encarnacion from Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday and put ailing outfielder Josh Hamilton on the 15-day disabled list. — The 24-year-old Encarnacion took over third base last season …
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Denny McLain / Britannica Blog:
Baseball, Partying, and Alcohol Abuse — I'm not sure how prevalent booze is in Major League clubhouses today, but in my "pre-Gatorade" day, it was everywhere. Our '68 team had a number of heavy drinkers and several who were serious problem drinkers. In fact, Norm Cash, my roommate Ray Oyler …
Associated Press:
Braves cut struggling LHP Redman — ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves gave struggling pitcher Mark Redman his unconditional release on Tuesday and resumed the search for a fifth starter. — Former No. 1 pick Joey Devine was called up from Double-A Mississippi.
Discussion:
BBTF's Baseball Primer …
Ken Gurnick / MLB.com:
Dodgers prospect Abreu set to join team — 22-year-old infielder hitting .347 for Triple-A Las Vegas — LOS ANGELES — One day after juggling the batting order, the Dodgers are about to juggle their roster by promoting infielder Tony Abreu from Triple-A Las Vegas.
Associated Press:
Cubs promote LHP Marshall from Triple-A — SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs shook up their lineup and rotation Tuesday, putting Alfonso Soriano back in the leadoff spot and calling up Sean Marshall from Triple-A Iowa to replace Angel Guzman in the rotation.
NY Daily News:
Champagne, Big Macs and caviar dreams! — Rookie pitcher celebrates 1st win with burgers — He was the toast of the town Sunday night - well, at least on the side of the town that roots for the Yankees. — But if you want to know how overnight Yankee pitching sensation Tyler Clippard celebrated his win over the Mets, think Big.
Discussion:
Deadspin
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Baseball America:
Prospect Q&A: Preston Mattingly — Preston Mattingly has good bloodlines and enough raw talent for the Dodgers to have taken him 31st overall in last year's draft. He also has a lot of work to do to live up to his potential. The son of former American League MVP and current Yankees hitting …
Bill Simmons / ESPN:
Not every team deserves Oden or Durant — On Monday morning, I flew cross-country to watch the NBA draft lottery back home in Boston. Why? Because I still blame myself for screwing up the Duncan lottery. Instead of watching such a pivotal, franchise-defining moment with my father …
Discussion:
Deadspin, The FanHouse, Boston Sports Media Watch, SBG, The World's …, The Big Picture and Sportszilla …
Ken Davidoff / Winston-Salem Journal# North …:
Buddies: Smoltz, Glavine headliner in Braves-Mets series — Yes, Mets-Braves, starting tonight at Turner Field in Atlanta, is a big, three-game series. But you can't deny the theater of Thursday night's finale. — John Smoltz, the Atlanta Braves' venerable ace, will make his first attempt at career win No. 200.
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George King / New York Post:
SAYING HALO — ANGELS SHOW INTEREST IN GIAMBI — MLB isn't the only outfit interested in Jason Giambi. According to a person with knowledge of the Angels' thinking, the AL West leaders have an interest in acquiring the Yankees' DH to bolster a lineup that is last in the league in home runs.
Will Carroll / Baseball Prospectus:
The Policy of Truth — I realize I may be one of the few people watching to hear things like "epitestosterone ratio" and "custodial malfeasance," but watching the Floyd Landis hearings only reminded me how good baseball's policies for testing are. They're not perfect …
Discussion:
Blue Jays Journal
Bob Raissman / NY Daily News:
Ax swings over Torre story — All the talk about Joe Torre's Yankee future, or lack thereof, is like gum stuck to a shoe - annoying and hard to get rid of. The story goes beyond the obvious speculation. It's not good enough to just predict whether the manager will stay or get the boot.
Nick N. / Nick & Nick's Twins Blog:
Texas Massacre — Many people predicted that the Twins would have a hard time competing this season because of the weak back part of their rotation — namely: Ramon Ortiz, Sidney Ponson and Carlos Silva. In April, Ortiz and Silva were surprisingly solid while Ponson managed to show some promise.
Jim Reeves / Fort Worth Star-Telegram:
Rangers, all of them, need to go — ARLINGTON — There's no question about it, Jon Daniels and Ron Washington should be fired immediately, but if Tom Hicks is listening, I'd like to add one caveat. — They should be Nos. 26 and 27 in line for the guillotine, right after every player on the 25-man roster loses his head.
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball
