Top News:
Bill Madden / NY Daily News:
Madden: Hank lights fire, threatens to burn bridges — You have to understand, it's not easy being Hank Steinbrenner, entrusted with restoring his dad's Yankees to their past glory, looking at the standings and seeing them wallowing around .500 while, of all people, those longstanding baseball doormats …
RELATED:
Tyler Kepner / New York Times:
Cashman Under Fire as Yankees Struggle — ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The top baseball operations executive under Hank and Hal Steinbrenner in the Yankees' hierarchy is General Manager Brian Cashman, whose contract expires after the season. The more the Yankees lose, and the more impatient …
Discussion:
Newsday, New York Post, NY Daily News, New Jersey Online, NJ.com, Bats, It is about the money, stupid, iYankees and WasWatching.com
Bryan Hoch / MLB.com:
Girardi holds closed-door meeting — Manager trying to spark underperforming Yankees — ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Joe Girardi held the first closed-door meeting of his Yankees managerial tenure on Wednesday, addressing his team for about 30 minutes before the club's game against the Rays at Tropicana Field.
Bryan Hoch / MLB.com:
Mussina stifles Rays, ends Yanks' skid — Veteran wins fifth straight start after closed-door team meeting — ST. PETERSBURG — In his eighth year with the Yankees, Mike Mussina has by now realized that no season will pass without a little controversy — a minor losing skid …
Discussion:
The Bronx Stop
Carrie Muskat / MLB.com:
Cubs make it official with Edmonds — Veteran outfielder passes physical, could play on Thursday — CHICAGO — Jim Edmonds will now try to revive his career with the Cubs. — The veteran outfielder passed his physical, and was officially added to the Cubs on Wednesday.
RELATED:
Paul Sullivan / Chicago Tribune:
GM Jim Hendry confident Jim Edmonds will help Cubs — By taking a gamble that Jim Edmonds still can be a productive center fielder and hitter, Cubs general manager Jim Hendry knew he was inviting criticism from fans who have invested a lot of time loathing the former Cardinals star.
Bernie Miklasz / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Edmonds in a Cubs uniform? The thought is mind-boggling — If you think Cardinals fans are unnerved by the prospect of Jim Edmonds galloping through center field at Wrigley Field while wearing the official costume of the Chicago Cubs, the reaction is polite compared to the howling gusts of wind swirling on that city's North Side.
Joe Frisaro / MLB.com:
Marlins on pace to break records — Team could set franchise marks in runs scored and homers — CINCINNATI — Approximately a quarter of the season is completed, and at their current pace, the Marlins are headed to setting franchise records for runs scored and home runs.
Discussion:
FishStripes
Anthony Rieber / Newsday:
Mets' Schoeneweis rushed to hospital; OK now — Mets reliever Scott Schoeneweis spent the early part of yesterday in a Greenwich, Conn., hospital after waking up with searing abdominal pain and chills and calling an ambulance. — “I thought I was going to die,” Schoeneweis …
Fred Goodall / Associated Press:
Rays, Kazmir agree on 3 years, $28.5M — ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)—Tampa Bay left-hander Scott Kazmir agreed Wednesday to a $28.5 million, three-year extension through 2011, a deal with a club option that could raise the contract's value to $39.5 million over four seasons.
RELATED:
Associated Press:
Lackey sharp, but Angels fall to ChiSox — ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP)—Carlos Quentin did what he does every day—checked the lineup card to see if he was playing. This time, he was batting third for the first time this season. — Quentin made White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen look smart …
Evan Grant / Dallas Morning News:
Byrd back in Texas Rangers' roster, but not to the lineup — egrant@dallasnews.com — ARLINGTON - Marlon Byrd returned to the Rangers' active roster Wednesday. The bigger issue might be how he'll return to the lineup. — Byrd began his first game back on the bench.
RELATED:
Clark Spencer / MiamiHerald.com:
If Ross gets hot, leadoff spot is his — CINCINNATI — It was Cody Ross' turn to take a stab in the leadoff spot Wednesday. If Ross gets hot, manager Fredi Gonzalez said, he would remain atop the order. — Alfredo Amezaga has struggled in the role since Hanley Ramirez dropped to third.
Discussion:
FishStripes
Peter Botte / NY Daily News:
Moises tossed into Bronx debut — The Mets waited patiently throughout April, knowing their chance to send injured-again outfielder Moises Alou up in late-game RBI situations eventually would arrive. — Alou's spot in the lineup came around with the tying runs on base in the eighth inning Wednesday night …
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com
Kat O'Brien / Newsday:
A-Rod will test quadriceps by running bases — ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Alex Rodriguez is expected to run the bases at Tropicana Field before Thursday's game, in what could be the final test before playing in rehab games. — Rodriguez has been on the disabled list since April 30 with a right quadriceps strain.
Discussion:
iYankees
Associated Press:
Broken fingernail lands BoSox's Buchholz on DL — BALTIMORE — Clay Buchholz was put on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday by the Boston Red Sox because of a broken nail on his right middle finger. — The Red Sox filled his roster spot by recalling outfielder Jonathan Van Every from Triple-A Pawtucket.
RELATED:
