Top News:
Sports Illustrated:
Mets seriously considering changes … Willie Randolph's status as Mets manager is extremely tenuous now. General manager Omar Minaya is seriously considering changing managers and at least a couple of the team's coaches, sources told SI.com. — A Mets official indicated that nothing …
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Newsday:
Willie has the weekend to save his job — Source confirms Mets manager has until the end of this weekend's series against Texas to turn team around — A source confirms Mets manager Willie Randolph has until the end of this weekend's series against Texas to turn the team around.
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New York Post, Mike's Mets, MagicMets.com, Ya Gotta Believe, Seven Train to Shea Mets Blog and Shea Nation
Jayson Stark / ESPN.com:
Sources: MLB working to start replay this season — Major League Baseball is attempting to institute instant replay on home-run calls before the end of this season, according to two sources familiar with those discussions. However, in order to accomplish that, MLB still needs to settle …
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Paul White / USA Today:
MLB may use instant replay starting Aug. 1 — Major League Baseball wants to implement instant replay by Aug. 1, according to two high-ranking officials from the World Umpires Association. — The officials said MLB approached the umpires Wednesday to request that replay be used on …
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Baseball Digest Daily
Tyler Kepner / New York Times:
Yanks Would Have Interest in Sabathia — OAKLAND, Calif. — A painful swing by the Cleveland Indians' Víctor Martínez on Wednesday could have significant ramifications for the Yankees. An elbow injury to Martínez all but ended the Indians' flickering playoff hopes …
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Jon Heyman / Sports Illustrated:
Would Griffey consider being dealt to surprising Rays? … Those who know Ken Griffey Jr. know that nothing is more important than family to the newest member of baseball's 600-home run club. Now Griffey, a longtime resident of the Orlando, Fla. area, is telling friends he's monitoring …
Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com:
Martinez, Barfield headed to DL — CLEVELAND — The Indians got the news on catcher Victor Martinez and second baseman Josh Barfield on Thursday, and it was bad news on both fronts. — Martinez (right elbow inflammation) and Barfield (left middle finger sprain) are both headed to the 15-day disabled list …
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Ducksnorts
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Denver Post:
Spilborghs' potential puts others on bench — Ryan Spilborghs' promotion could have ramifications. — With Spilborghs set to receive a string of at-bats in center field, that has created uncertainty regarding the future of backups Willy Taveras and Scott Podsednik.
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Bottom9 Baseball
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Associated Press:
Significant damage found in Smoltz's shoulder … ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz says he still hopes to pitch again following shoulder surgery. — Smoltz said Friday that doctors found significant damage in his right shoulder during the surgery earlier this week.
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Joe Cowley / Chicago Sun Times:
Heat is on Loaiza if he can't bring the heat — DETROIT — Veteran right- hander Esteban Loaiza has been full of surprises for the White Sox. — They were surprised to find out he hadn't been working out or throwing before they signed him to a free-agent contract June 4.
Baseball Prospectus:
Prospectus Hit List: Comebacks, Snappy and Otherwise by Jay Jaffe — So Sori: Rough stuff for the Cubs, who may lose Alfonso Soriano for six weeks due to a broken metacarpal. Since coming back from a calf strain on May 1, Soriano had been on a .323/.368/.639 tear with 13 homers …
Bryan Hoch / MLB.com:
Matsui feeling grand against A's — Slugger's birthday slam supports Pettitte's gem in Oakland — OAKLAND — Hideki Matsui celebrated his birthday in style, providing a very special gift for the Yankees. — Matsui's sixth-inning grand slam lifted New York to a 4-1 victory on Thursday …
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iYankees
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Josh Dubow / Associated Press:
Matsui's slam helps Yankees beat A's 4-1
Matsui's slam helps Yankees beat A's 4-1
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Baseball Musings
Dejan Kovacevic / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Doumit walks the walk in walloping Washington — Third game in row with a home run boosts Pirates, 7-5 — It is one thing to pipe up, as Ryan Doumit did four days ago after the Pirates' tumultuous takedown of the Arizona Diamondbacks, brashly declaring, “We let 'em know we weren't going to be pushed around in our own house.”
Discussion:
William World News
Peter Mandzuk / News-Times:
Letter: A special visit to Yankee game — I attended the Yankees' game last Friday with my wife Joan, my son Eric, and his girl Sandy Sequeira. — We initially thought the evening's highlight would be the models of Yankee Stadium given out to fans. Little did we know what was in store for us.
ESPN:
Papelbon: Red Sox not finished paying back Rays — Over? Did you say over? — The Red Sox-Rays rivalry has turned into one of Major League Baseball's nastier feuds. And even after multiple suspensions for the teams' last dust-up, in which brushback pitches and punches were thrown …