Top News:
ESPN:
In-progress first-round draft analysis … Follow along as Keith Law provides pick-by-pick analysis of the first round in today's draft. Teams have five minutes between first-round picks. — Watch the first round live on ESPN2 or on ESPN360 through the first round and the compensation round.
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Baseball America:
First Round Recap — Scouting reports and stats on everyone taken in the first round — 1. Tampa Bay Rays — B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-0. Wt.: 188. Age: 18. — Scouting Report — Beckham solidified his status as the nation's top high school position player last year when he produced …
Jim Callis / Baseball America:
BA's 2008 Final Mock First Round — Rays will take Tim Beckham No. 1 overall — Signability concerns made for a wild night before the draft. Florida State catcher Buster Posey's asking price suddenly jumped to $12 million and Missouri righthander Aaron Crow's target became $10 million …
Discussion:
Saber-Scouting, THE BASEBALL SAVANT, Hot Foot, Another Cubs Blog, FanHouse, Future Redbirds and MLB.com
Baseball Analysts:
Live Blogging the 2008 MLB Draft — As detailed in the Ins and Outs of the MLB Draft, today's proceedings will get underway at 2:00 p.m. ET. Baseball Analysts will bring you all the picks from the first and supplemental rounds right here as they happen (with detailed information on the teams and draft picks below).
Bill Chastain / MLB.com:
Rays will choose Beckham at No. 1 — Tampa Bay opts for talented Georgia high school shortstop — BOSTON — Tim Beckham will be No. 1. — The Rays, holding the first overall selection in today's First-Year Player Draft, will select the talented high school shortstop from Griffin, Ga. …
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Associated Press:
Sox brawl, win game, Ellsbury hurt, Manny, Youk go at it — BOSTON - Manny Ramirez [stats] homered, drove in five runs and got into a shouting match with a teammate as Boston beat Tampa Bay 7-1 Thursday night in a game that included a bench-clearing brawl between the Red Sox [team stats] and Rays.
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Associated Press:
BoSox CF Ellsbury strains right wrist — BOSTON (AP)—Boston center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury left Thursday's game against Tampa Bay with a strained right wrist in the fourth inning after making a diving catch of Evan Longoria's line drive. — Ellsbury, who started the game in left and moved …
Discussion:
iYankees
Ian / SOX & Dawgs:Coco Shows Some Fire
Discussion:
Boston Globe, SOX1FAN, Baseball Musings, St. Petersburg Times, The Heater, Red Sox Monster and Projo SoxBlog
Kevin Baxter / Los Angeles Times:
Dodgers' Matt Kemp suspended four games, fined for Tuesday's fight — Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp, left, has been suspended for four games and fined an undisclosed amount for his part in a shoving match that resulted in the clearing of both teams' benches.
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Associated Press:
Dodgers' Kemp, Rockies' Torrealba suspended — NEW YORK — Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp was suspended for four games and Colorado Rockies catcher Yorvit Torrealba was penalized three games Thursday following their tussle earlier this week. — Both players were also fined undisclosed amounts …
Anthony DiComo / MLB.com:
Mets snag college bats Davis, Havens — Team adds pop in first round with first baseman and shortstop — NEW YORK — Recent history has rarely seen the Mets have their way when it comes to the First-Year Player Draft. Their picks snapped away through free-agent spending …
Discussion:
Mets Merized Online
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Bryan Hoch / MLB.com:
Report: Yanks, Cashman talking deal — In last year of his current contract, GM to discuss extension — NEW YORK — A potential contract extension for Yankees general manager Brian Cashman will be discussed this week while the club holds a summit in Florida, according to a report published …
Discussion:
Sliding Into Home
RELATED:
Ed Price / New Jersey Online:Cashman, brass to talk contract
Discussion:
The Transaction Guy, WasWatching.com, River Ave. Blues, New York Post and Scott Proctor's Arm
Bryan Hoch / MLB.com:
Yankees draft fireballer in first round — Righty Cole goes No. 28; Stanford lefty first compensation pick — NEW YORK — The New York Yankees selected right-hander Gerrit Cole on Thursday with their first-round pick in the 2008 First Year Player Draft, using the 28th overall pick …
Discussion:
New Jersey Online, iYankees, The LoHud Yankees Blog, yankeesdaily.com, Bugs & Cranks and Big Apple Sports
Will Leitch / Deadspin:
A Note From Your Editor — We started this site on September 8, 2005, with a simple headline: “Welcome to Deadspin. We Come With a Pure Heart and Mirthful Disposition.” We think that's still pretty much true; we try to keep our disposition mirthful at all times.
Jerry Brewer / The Seattle Times:
McLaren's words came too late for Mariners — The contrived tirade began with a warning. — “We're gonna do this a little different,” John McLaren said. — He sounded a little like Tina Turner at the beginning of “Proud Mary.” Then the downtrodden Mariners manager unleashed …
Discussion:
Baseball Musings, FanHouse, The Seattle Times, The Transaction Guy, Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Baseball Crank
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Scott Lauber / Phillies:
June 5 — MANUEL BENCHES ROLLINS — So, this is how Charlie Manuel acts when he has a long-term contract. — Manuel did, in fact, bench Jimmy Rollins in the fifth inning today, two innings after he didn't run out a pop fly that wound up being dropped in shallow left field by Reds shortstop Paul Janish.
