Top News:
Jon Heyman / Sports Illustrated:
Better late than never (cont.) — MLB controversy count very low — Another never-ending All-Star game would have been a mess. But as it is, Selig had a very small number of controversies to confront at his annual All-Star Game press briefing. His message was that the sport is thriving, and it's tough to argue.
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Jeff Passan / Yahoo! Sports:
Little League tactics cause All-Star headaches — NEW YORK - Had baseball's All-Star game-turned-cricket match gone any longer, the American League's next pitcher would have come with an arsenal of fastball, curveball and changeup that share the same description. — “Junk,” Evan Longoria said.
Art Thiel / Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
Midseason Report: M's need change of who's in charge — A sudden and numbing first-half collapse left the Mariners with the worst record in the American League — Why would a top-shelf free agent player join the Mariners? — Why would a top-shelf general manager join the Mariners?
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Jim Moore / Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
Trade Ichiro? It's a bold but sensible proposition — During last month's news conference announcing the firing of general manager Bill Bavasi, Mariners CEO Howard Lincoln said he was open to trading anyone on the team. — If that's the case, the Mariners should deal Ichiro Suzuki by the July 31 deadline.
J.J. Cooper / Baseball America Prospects Blog:
U.S. Olympic Roster Announced — USA Baseball announced its roster for the Olympics this afternoon. We'll have plenty of analysis as the day goes along, but here's a quick look at the 23-man roster that was announced. Team USA will be prospect-laden behind the plate and in the outfield …
Discussion:
BBTF's Baseball Primer …
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Janie Mccauley / Associated Press:
Triple-A players highlight Olympic baseball team — San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg, whose 23-strikeout performance on April 11 brought him national attention, was the lone college player picked Wednesday for the U.S. baseball team headed to the Beijing Olympics.
Ted Berg / SNY.tv:
Shea is no place for a teenager — Inexpensive veterans would fit team better than F-Mart — A nine-game winning streak is a very good thing for any team. Totally awesome. Whether the credit goes to Jerry Manuel, the contributions from reserve players, offensive upgrades at catcher and second base …
Paul DePodesta / It Might Be Dangerous:
Brian Giles — There have been a number of comments concerning Brian Giles, so I thought he should be the topic of a post. — In my previous posting regarding our potential free agents and the trading deadline, I did not include Brian. I did not include him principally because he's …
Discussion:
Hardball Times
Matt Eddy / Baseball America Prospects Blog:
PCL Rallies For All-Star Game Win — The Pacific Coast League scored six times in the top of the ninth inning, turning a 2-0 deficit into a 6-5 win against the International League in Wednesday's Triple-A all-star game in Louisville. All six runs were charged to Toledo righthander Blaine Neal …
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Associated Press
Darren Rovell / Sports Biz with Darren Rovell:
Will New York Yankees Use Announcer Bob Sheppard Forever? — As I was listening to a recorded Bob Sheppard at the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium yesterday, I wondered if the Yankees could have Bob Sheppard announcing the lineups forever. — Sheppard, 97, who had been announcing all the names …
Mike Fish / ESPN.com:
Radomski says new HGH receipt found under TV — Report: Evidence Exists Of HGH Shipments To Clemens — The case against Roger Clemens might turn on a busted television. — Convicted steroid distributor Kirk Radomski told ESPN.com that while he was moving a broken television off a dresser …
TwinCities.com:
CHARLEY WALTERS: Green Bay Packers won't let Brett Favre go to Minnesota Vikings — There's no doubt the Vikings would have interest in Brett Favre if he's available. There's also little doubt that the Green Bay Packers would not allow the future hall of fame quarterback to go to the Vikings …
Matthew Leach / MLB.com:
Drew snares All-Star MVP honors — Red Sox's right fielder goes 2-for-4 in 15-inning affair in Bronx — NEW YORK — Flags fly forever, and rings soothe all sorts of wounds. Now, add a nice trophy and a free SUV, and J.D. Drew has just about forgotten the first five months of his American League career.
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Jim Salisbury / Philly.com:
Myers set for July 23 return — NEW YORK - Here's an update on Brett's comeback: — No, not Favre. Myers. — According to a baseball source, Brett Myers' next minor-league start will be Friday night in Florida for single-A Clearwater at Brevard County.
Discussion:
Mariners Blog, MetsBlog.com, MLB Fanhouse, New Jersey Online, MLB Rumors and Phillies Nation