Top News:
Joel Sherman / New York Post:
MELKY TO MINORS, SEXSON WAIVED — YANKEES PROMOTE GARDNER, RANSOM — In a move designed to boost the Yankees' sagging offense, the team today will demote Melky Cabrera to the minors, waive Richie Sexson, and promote Brett Gardner and Cody Ransom from Triple-A, The Post has learned.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors, Walkoff Walk, Sliding Into Home, WasWatching.com, iYankees, Beyond the Box Score and River Ave. Blues
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Bryan Hoch / MLB.com:
Yanks demote Melky, cut Sexson — Club recalls Gardner and Ransom; Britton recalled, too — NEW YORK — TThe Yankees reshaped their roster prior to Friday's game with the Royals at Yankee Stadium, optioning outfielder Melky Cabrera to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and designating first baseman Richie Sexson for assignment.
Peter Abraham / The LoHud Yankees Blog:
Melky optioned; Sexson released — I'm not at the Stadium today. But word from the Bronx is that Melky Cabrera has been optioned down to Triple-A Scranton and Richie Sexson was released. — OF Brett Gardner and INF Cody Ransom will be added to the roster.
Jim Baumbach / Newsday:
Yankees demote Melky Cabrera, waive Sexson — On the heels of a disappointing road trip and with their playoff hopes fading, the Yankees acted swiftly Friday. — The Yankees sent Melky Cabrera to Triple-A and designated Richie Sexson for assignment. To take their spots on the roster …
ESPN.com:
Yankees fire two scouts amid kickback probe — A Major League Baseball source said Friday that the New York Yankees decided to fire two scouts for taking kickbacks from Dominican prospects after being briefed by MLB investigators on the financial scandal and the role the men played in it.
Discussion:
Pending Pinstripes
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Ronald Blum / Associated Press:
Source: Yankees fire 2 scouts amid probe — NEW YORK (AP)—The New York Yankees have fired two scouts under investigation in a probe of possible skimming from contracts with Latin American players, The Associated Press has learned. — The Yankees terminated the contracts of Carlos Rios …
Dan Connolly / Baltimore Sun:
O's reach agreement with Matusz — First-round pick gets major league deal, $3.2M signing bonus — The Orioles and first-round pick Brian Matusz have agreed to terms on a major league deal that would immediately insert him onto the club's 40-man roster and toward the top of the organization's list of pitching prospects.
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George A. King III / New York Post:
JOBA READY TO THROW AGAIN, BUT ROLE UNCERTAIN — Joba Chamberlain begins a throwing program today under the supervision of the Yankees' training and coaching staffs at Yankee Stadium. — The two biggest questions surrounding the pitching face of the troubled franchise are: 1) …
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Tyler Kepner / Bats:
First-Round Pick Gerrit Cole Opts for College Over Yankees — When the Yankees drafted pitcher Gerrit Cole in the first round of the June draft, they believed that Cole would sign with them and forego a college scholarship. It turns out that Cole has changed his mind and will go to U.C.L.A. instead.
Discussion:
The LoHud Yankees Blog, My Pinstripes, Heartland Pinstripes, New Jersey Online, Royals Authority, Unfiltered, Pending Pinstripes, yankeesdaily.com, Baseball Musings, The Sommer Frieze, PBC Blog, YFSF, Scott Proctor's Arm, Bronx Liaison, YanksBlog.com, Pinstripe Alley, iYankees, MLB Rumors, Blogging the Bombers and BBTF's Baseball Primer …
Bart Hubbuch / Mets Blog:
Stokes looks like a keeper — Brian Stokes (pictured) knows the Tampa Bay Rays are having a dream season but still prefers the view from New York — Shea Stadium, in particular — a lot better.... If the right-handed reliever keeps pitching the way he has for the Mets since being called up last week …
Discussion:
Associated Press
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Chico Harlan / Washington Post:
The Deadline Arrives to Sign Crow — One day before the Washington Nationals selected Aaron Crow ninth overall in the June draft, one of Crow's advisers, Alan Hendricks, spoke with General Manager Jim Bowden. In that conversation, Hendricks explained to Bowden what it would take to sign Crow.
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Steve Silva / Boston Globe:
Manny gets a haircut, then goes hitless — Manny trimmed his hair a bit before last night's game. (FSN screen image courtesy of Al Belcuore) — Our long national nightmare is over. Manny Ramirez got a haircut before last night's Dodgers-Phillies game in LA. Sort of.
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Richard Sandomir / New York Times:
Radio Alert: It's Now Mike Minus Mad Dog — Martin and Lewis broke up, and so did the Beatles. — And on Thursday, WFAN's “Mike and the Mad Dog” became just Mike, when Chris Russo left the station abruptly, ending a nearly 19-year partnership with Mike Francesa that had made them perhaps the most formidable duo in sports-talk radio.
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Joe Christensen / Around the Majors:
Sorting through this waiver madness — After 3 1/2 years of covering the Twins with La Velle, I felt like I had stepped into “The Twilight Zone” on Thursday. — It started at about 9:45 a.m., when Buster Olney was on ESPN's “First Take” talking about the waiver claims that had been submitted …
Tim Marchman / New York Sun:
Baseball's Draft System Is Badly Broken — When the clock strikes midnight Friday, the signing deadline for baseball's amateur draft will pass. By then, most if not all of the 10 first-round picks who have yet to sign as of this writing will presumably have done so.
Discussion:
THE BOOK
Mark Newman / MLB.com:
U.S. falls to Cuba in 11 innings — Americans' record drops to 1-2; Nix out for remainder of Games — BEIJING — Davey Johnson hopes to see Cuba again. — “Oh yeah,” he said. “I'd like to see them in the finals.” — Those are fightin' words, but the big question now is whether …
Mark Shanahan / Boston Globe:
Varitek mum on divorce — Jason Varitek had nothing to say today, at least to us, about his divorce. And there are few details in the documents filed in Gwinnett County, Ga. Seems the Sox catcher and his wife, Karen, split June 7 and are living separately.
Discussion:
Baseball Musings
Ken Davidoff / Newsday:
Newfound consistency makes Perez a key Met — If you were to rank the top reasons why these Mets have gone from doomed to (maybe) destined in the last two months, where would you place the surge of Oliver Perez? — Easily among the top five, right? How about the top four …
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