Top News:
Peter Abraham / The LoHud Yankees Blog:
Game 27: Yankees at Indians — YANKEES — Notes: Cleveland will start LHP Aaron Laffey, who has never faced any of the Yankees. ... The Yankees are ending a stretch of 18 road games in 21 days. ... Jorge Posada is officially on the DL as of yesterday and Chris Stewart is here and wearing No. 38. ...
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Tyler Kepner / Bats:The Toughness of Jorge Posada
Discussion:
Sliding Into Home, MLB.com, Bugs & Cranks, Bronx Banter, River Ave. Blues, iYankees and The Yankees
Joe Sheehan / Baseball Prospectus:
Prospectus Today — Reality Check — Four weeks into the season, we have to start making calls. It's still a little early in most cases, but we have enough information to reach tentative conclusions about some players, teams, and issues. For the next three days, that's what we'll do …
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Paul Meyer / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Morris released after 0-4 start — Matt Morris yesterday left the Pirates ... Matt Morris yesterday left the Pirates — or did he? — “One of the best in the game,” first baseman Adam LaRoche said a few minutes after the Pirates officially released the right-hander.
NY Daily News:
Rocket and the country star — Roger Clemens allegedly had a 10-year romance with ... Roger Clemens carried on a decade-long affair with country star Mindy McCready, a romance that began when McCready was a 15-year-old aspiring singer performing in a karaoke bar and Clemens …
Discussion:
Deadspin, The Big Lead, Boy of Summer, SPORTSbyBROOKS, Diamond Hoggers, My Pinstripes, The Mighty Quinn Media Machine, Mellinger's Blog …, Hot Stove New York, FanHouse, SOX1FAN, Babes Love Baseball, The Heater, ShysterBall, Baseball Musings, Surviving Grady, Oriole Post, Deuce of Davenport, WasWatching.com, The Joy of Sox, yankeesdaily.com, IT IS HIGH, IT IS FAR, IT IS and Bronx Liaison
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ESPN.com:
Report: Clemens had relationship with country star — NEW YORK — Saying “all is fair game,” lawyers for Roger Clemens' former personal trainer Brian McNamee say they intend to capitalize on allegations of an extra-marital affair involving Clemens and a country music singer in defending a defamation suit Clemens filed against McNamee.
Kevin Goldstein / Baseball Prospectus:
Monday Ten Pack — Bastardo can be seen as one of those “is what he is” kind of players: a short lefty with average velocity. However, beyond his left-handedness, he's also got fantastic command and a killer changeup. That's enough to make him some kind of prospect …
Discussion:
DRaysBay
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Todd Zolecki / Philly.com:
Pirates top Phillies, 5-1 — Myers at a loss to explain anemic fastball — Poof. — The fastball that made Brett Myers a first-round draft pick in 1999 is nowhere to be found. The pitch that hit 95 m.p.h. suddenly cannot break 88 m.p.h. That is a concern for Myers and the Phillies …
RELATED:
David Murphy / Philly.com:Phillies concerned about pitcher Myers' lack of velocity
Discussion:
Baseball Musings
Joe McDonald / Providence Journal:
Beckett is fuming about 20 straight … ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — So much for not making any excuses. — It is certainly true that the Red Sox have had a tough schedule to start the season. Boston had a shortened spring training due to its opening series in Japan.
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Evan Grant / Dallas Morning News:
Texas Rangers going back to basics — egrant@dallasnews.com — ARLINGTON - With his team leading the majors in errors, Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington is considering a remedial course for his fielders. — Washington said Sunday the Rangers may start taking organized infield practice …
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Jon Heyman / Sports Illustrated:
Will any GM join Krivsky on unemployment line? … This isn't like the old days, when some baseball teams were run by the lazy, the unqualified or the truly incompetent. Today there's only one team like that, two tops. — Almost every baseball owner now understands the importance …
Discussion:
Hot Foot
Jim Carlton / Wall Street Journal:
Life After Barry Is a Strikeout At the Ballpark — Without Famed Slugger, Rubber-Chicken Sales And Kayak Rentals Fall — SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants this year got off to one of their worst starts since moving here from New York in 1958, losing 11 of their first 17 games.
Discussion:
McCovey Chronicles
Anthony Rieber / Newsday:
Delgado (2 HRs) snubs curtain call in Mets win — How good a day was it at Shea Stadium yesterday? Carlos Delgado, an early-season target of boos and brickbats from Mets fans, heard nothing but cheers after his second home run in a 6-3 win over the Braves.
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Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Mailbag: Is Lannan the real deal? — Beat reporter Bill Ladson answers Nationals fans' questions — Is John Lannan the real deal? — There is no question that Lannan is the real deal. He is, by far, the best pitcher on the team and should have been on the Opening Day roster.
Philly.com:
Lieberthal to retire as a Phillie — Mike Lieberthal, who spent 13 of his 14 major league seasons as a catcher with the Phillies, will retire as a member of the organization on June 1, the Phillies announced today. — The last player to retire as a Phillie in this manner was outfielder Doug Glanville in 2005.
John Donovan / Sports Illustrated:
The Windup … Hey Johan, bring back that Cy Young Award, would you? Seems like we might have been a little quick handing out the hardware. — Sunday's scintillating showdown between two starting studs — Brandon Webb of the Diamondbacks and Jake Peavy of the Padres …
David O'Brien / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Smoltz complains of sore shoulder after shaky outing — New York — If 20 strikeouts in his previous two starts seduced some into thinking John Smoltz might go on like this forever, Sunday served as a reminder that it can't. — Even the bearded Braves icon can't ignore pain and keep mowing down hitters in perpetuity.
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Marty Noble / MLB.com:
Alou's future uncertain with new setback — Oft-injured veteran outfielder to have tests on swollen left ankle — NEW YORK — A CT scan of the left ankle of Moises Alou administered on Friday provided inconclusive results, and now the immediate future of the oft-injured player …
Discussion:
Betty's No Good Clothes Shop …
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