Top News:
Rob Bradford / Boston Herald:
Papi: Johan not coming — Sox DH doesn't see trade for good friend happening — FOXBORO - It wasn't the holiday message Red Sox [team stats] fans were looking for. — Although David Ortiz [stats]' infectious smile and trademark hugs were spread throughout Gillette Stadium during his visit …
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Nick Cafardo / Boston Globe:
Perry cuts to the chase — Today's ‘cheaters’ will pass Hall test — Everyone always suspected Gaylord Perry threw a spitter or a greaser, or cut the ball. He was a master at it. He was the safecracker. He perfected what so many others in his generation tried but couldn't pull off nearly as well.
Anthony McCarron / NY Daily News:
McNamee open to chatting with Roger — Brian McNamee hasn't talked to Roger Clemens since the personal trainer's explosive testimony in the Mitchell Report fingered the Rocket as an abuser of steroids and human growth hormone. — But McNamee, whose work Clemens credited for years …
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NY Daily News:
Rocket reeks of desperation — So Roger Clemens has taken his case to the people via the path of least resistance, with a two-minute video that he posted on his Web site. He does his best to win your sympathy, describing the hurt his family has endured from the Mitchell Report …
ESPN.com:
Clemens ‘almost numb’ to steroid accusations — Clemens Defends Himself Against Steroid Allegations — In a video posted on his official Web site, Roger Clemens said that he has become “almost numb” to the steroid accusations against him in the Mitchell report and that he has granted …
Ken Mandel / MLB.com:
Phils sign Taguchi to one-year deal — Outfielder gets $1 million contract, with option for 2009 — PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies completed some last-minute holiday shopping Sunday, signing outfielder So Taguchi to a one-year contract with an option for 2009.
Dan Naulty / NY Daily News:
Reliever Dan Naulty from 1999 World Series team spills ugly truth on steroids — Yankees closer Mariano Rivera got Atlanta Braves designated hitter Keith Lockhart to pop up to left field for the final out of the 1999 World Series - Oct. 27 - giving the Bombers a four-game sweep of the Braves …
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Joe Brescia / New York Times:
Guidry Hopes He's Wearing Pinstripes in the Spring — Ron Guidry, dismissed as the Yankees' pitching coach after two seasons, has been sitting home in Louisiana, waiting for a job offer. — From whom? How about the Yankees. — “I would imagine probably I'll get a call and maybe …
Jayson Stark / ESPN:
The wild and wacky from 2007 … Once again this year, the amazing sport of baseball was stranger than fiction, stranger than a Britney Spears trip to the hair salon, stranger even than the Jonathan Papelbon School of Dance. — So before the 2008 sign flashes in Times Square, let's look back at the Strange But True Feats of the Year:
Dejan Kovacevic / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Hot Stove: Payroll disparity a Central issue — Maybe the Pirates' fate in 2008 might be different if, a couple days from now, a gift card in the amount of, oh, $50 million were to show up under their tree. — As it is ... The $50 million or so that they do plan to spend next season …
Mike Imrem / Daily Herald:
Time to tear down Wrigley — Here's a solution to the latest Wrigley Field crisis: Save the name, dump the dump. — Yes, I'm playing demolition derby again because the crusty, creaky old joint doesn't need to be renovated or renamed. — It needs to be replaced.
Discussion:
The Progenitor …
Dave van Dyck / Chicago Tribune:
White Sox's spin: Small pieces, big impact — GM: Key positions covered even with no marquee signing — This being the season of good cheer and good will toward men, White Sox general manager Ken Williams is trying to put a positive spin on his off-season shopping, which has produced …
