Top News:
Ken Rosenthal / Fox Sports:
Sources: Mets close to acquiring Conine — FOXSports.com, Updated 21 minutes ago — LIKE THIS STORY? — The New York Mets are on the verge of acquiring utility player Jeff Conine from the Cincinnati Reds for two Class-A position players, according to Major League sources.
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Joe Kay / Associated Press:
Mets acquire Conine from Reds — CINCINNATI (AP) — The New York Mets got Jeff Conine from the Cincinnati Reds for two minor leaguers on Monday, adding a 41-year-old player who has two World Series rings and knows how to contribute off the bench. — Conine can play first base or outfield …
Ben Shpigel / New York Times:
In Washington, Mets Finish What They Started — The sky was overcast, not dark, and the backdrop to Sunday's game was old and leaky, not new and charming, but take all that away and the Mets were back in an all too familiar place. Eighth inning. Score tied.
Mark Hale / Mets Blog:
Mets get Conine — The Mets have made a small deal but one that helps their bench, picking up Jeff Conine from the Reds for minor leaguers Sean Henry and Jose Castro. — The Mets needed a righty reserve bat in the wake of Damion Easley's injury and have been interested in Conine for a bit.
Tony Massarotti / Boston Herald:
Mysterious ways persist: Seeking clues about real Red Sox — Six weeks to go and precisely 38 games to play, and still we do not know about the Red Sox [team stats]. When you really get down to it, the Sox still have not been tested yet. And so, we still do not know just how tough they are.
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Childs Walker / Baltimore Sun:
'Wild Bill' Hagy dies at 68 — Longtime Orioles fan known for leading raucous cheers at Memorial Stadium in the 1970s and 80s — Orioles fan 'Wild Bill' Hagy pumps up the crowd at Memorial Stadium in 1978. — William "Wild Bill" Hagy, the bushy-bearded cab driver from Dundalk …
ESPN:
Face of the Franchise — ESPN.com's SportsNation has convened a panel of 64 experts — writers, bloggers, and a former player — to give their picks for which current player, manager, owner, or mascot is the "face" of each of baseball's 30 franchises. Their picks will be announced throughout the week …
Ken Rosenthal / Fox Sports:
Run differential isn't everything — LIKE THIS STORY? — Run differential is overrated. — All right, maybe that's overstated. But those crazy Diamondbacks are merely the latest club to outperform its estimated won-loss record based on its runs scored and runs allowed.
Jon Weisman / Sports Illustrated:
NL West: Predictions — Over the past three weeks, Arizona has taken control of the National League West. I asked team bloggers from around the division whether they thought the Diamondbacks would hang on and what the NL West order of finish would be. Here's what they said: — Jim McLennan, AZ SnakePit:
Discussion:
True Blue LA
Rich Lederer / Baseball Analysts:
Ryan Braun: Greatest First-Year Slugger Ever? — Ryan Braun led off the second inning yesterday with his 24th home run of the season to give Milwaukee an early 1-0 advantage although the Brewers later blew a five-run lead and lost 7-6 to the Cincinnati Reds.
Tim Dierkes / MLB Trade Rumors:
Olney On Johan Santana — ESPN's Buster Olney kicks off his blog today with his thoughts on Johan Santana. Fresh off a team-record 17 strikeout performance, Santana is a hot topic around baseball. Olney believes Santana trade talk could dominate the offseason.
Mike Phelan / CNN:
Report: Vick agrees to plea deal, prison possible — (CNN) — Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has accepted a plea deal that could send him to prison, ending a federal dogfighting prosecution that jeopardizes his pro football career, a Virginia newspaper is reporting.
David Pinto / Baseball Musings:
Power Progress — Jeremy Hermida hit his eleventh home run of the season in the first inning today, a three-run shot that helped the Marlins to a 4-3 lead over the Giants in the fourth inning. At age 23, Hermida still has plenty of room to improve, and he's now slugging 100 points better than last season at .469.
Rick Gano / Associated Press:
Cards now 3 games out of 1st, beat Cubs — CHICAGO (AP) — Rick Ankiel showed off the arm that once made him a promising pitcher. His perfect peg from left field in the first inning cut down a runner and got the St. Louis Cardinals headed toward victory Monday.
Discussion:
Bleed Cubbie Blue
