Top News:
Kevin Kernan / New York Post:
OWNER: BOSOX CLOSER A ‘MOUSE’ — It's one thing for owners to have a little back-and-forth like John Henry and Hank Steinbrenner did recently in regard to Red Sox Nation vs. Yankees Universe. It's another for a young player to take a shot at an owner. — That's what Jonathan Papelbon, 27, did in criticizing Steinbrenner.
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Kevin Kernan / New York Post:
HANK: WE'RE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT — BABY BOSS HAS GIRARDI'S BACK — Don't mess with the Yankees. — That was Hank Steinbrenner's no-nonsense message yesterday. Steinbrenner made it clear that he is firmly in Joe Girardi's corner in the battle of aggressiveness with the Rays …
Mark Hale / New York Post:
GIRARDI: I BELIEVE MY PLAYER — SARASOTA, Fla. - Joe Girardi yesterday said he watched the replay of Shelley Duncan's slide from Wednesday and believes Duncan's explanation. — “Shelley told me that he tried to break up the play,” Girardi said. “I saw a similar slide that he made in Toronto …
Tyler Kepner / New York Times:
After Receiving Suspension, Duncan Will Face Rays — SARASOTA, Fla. — The Yankees play two games Saturday, one in Lakeland against the Detroit Tigers and one at home against the Tampa Bay Rays. In scheduling Shelley Duncan for the Rays game, the Yankees are essentially daring Tampa Bay to escalate a feud.
Derrick Goold / Bird Land:
Duncan peeved, defends his son — DODGERTOWN — Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan, flush with the excitement of having a new million-dollar arm in camp, still has something to be furious about. The slow-burn coach, the longest serving pitching coach in baseball history, was irate with how son …
Peter Abraham / The LoHud Yankees Blog:
More reaction from the Yanks (with audio) — Brian Cashman: “I'll take 25 Shelley Duncans. How about that?” — Derek Jeter: “If I were Shelley I wouldn't change the way I play the game. There's no reason to change the way he plays the game.” — Here's the audio from Shelley Duncan's interview.
Ken Rosenthal / Fox Sports:
Notebook: Reds have prospects to make noise — Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since Aug. 2005. He appears weekly on the FSN Baseball Report and MLB on FOX. — add this — To be a surprise team, you need surprise players. The Reds might open with two in their starting rotation.
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Adam Rubin / NY Daily News:
Randolph closes in on opener — JUPITER, Fla. - With 16 days remaining until Opening Day, Willie Randolph believes the moment has arrived for his full squad to begin taking the field together. So the manager summoned Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado together into his office Friday's morning …
Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Pena to start season on DL — Left fielder out at least four weeks with left oblique strain — VIERA, Fla. — Nationals left fielder Wily Mo Pena will likely start the 2008 season on the disabled list due to a Grade 2 strain of his left oblique. It's a significant tear in the muscle, and could take four weeks or more to heal.
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Dylan Hernandez / Los Angeles Times:
Dodgers encounter unfinished business in China — Youngsters in China may not be familiar with baseball, but any child can appreciate the potential for noise with a pair of thundersticks. The fans were attending an exhibition game between the Dodgers and San Diego Saturday in Beijing.
Discussion:
Associated Press
Andy Katz / ESPN.com:
SEC moves tourney to Georgia Tech — The SEC will take the unprecedented move and have a team play twice in one day in order to conclude the storm-delayed conference tournament in Atlanta before the NCAA tournament selection announcement Sunday at 6 p.m. — Early Saturday morning …
Maury Brown / The Biz of Baseball:
Box Seat at Yankee Stadium Costs 1029% More Than in '67 — In 1967... Segregationist Lester Maddox was sworn in as Governor of Georgia, Superbowl I was played in the LA Coliseum with the Green Bay Packers defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10, the ABA was formed, Elvis Presley married Priscilla Beaulieu …
Associated Press:
Astros 2B Matsui to have surgery, out 2 weeks — KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Houston Astros second baseman Kazuo Matsui will undergo surgery to repair an anal fissure on Monday in Houston. — Matsui has struggled with the health problem for much of spring training and was diagnosed with the condition earlier this week.
