Top News:
Dan Shaughnessy / Boston Globe:
The good feelings disappeared in a New York minute — NEW YORK - The ancient house of horrors came back to bite the Red Sox in the butt one last time. — It was all going perfectly. Theo Epstein was having a better week than Barack Obama, the Sox were positioned to sweep the Yankees off the playoff map …
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Harvey Araton / New York Times:
Journeyman Gives Yankees a Playoff Pulse — There is no game quite like baseball offering equal opportunity for the unsung. To personalize this point, meet Cody Ransom, 32, who happened to grow up a Yankees fan in the Bronx suburb of Mesa, Ariz. — There is a generational explanation, a historical link.
Ian Browne / MLB.com:
Sweep snatched by Giambi, Yanks — Sox head home with winning trip, series victory over Bombers — NEW YORK — For the Red Sox, Thursday was not the time to wax poetic over the likelihood of playing at Yankee Stadium for the final time. — Instead, the hope was to break out the brooms …
Rob Bradford / Archive:Beckett's Go-To Guy: Ace Continues to Lean on Andrews in Tough Times
Discussion:
Boston Globe, WEEI Blogs, Projo Sox Blog, SOX & Dawgs, Providence Journal, Hartford Courant and Boston Sports Media Watch
Jayson Stark / ESPN:
Phillies, in need of left-handed bat, deal for Stairs … The Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to send Matt Stairs to the Phillies for a minor leaguer to be named later. — The trade, first reported by FOXSports.com, gives the Phillies a left-handed bat off the bench to replace the injured Geoff Jenkins.
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com
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Jordan Bastian / MLB.com:
Jays designate Stairs for assignment — Trade talks indicate veteran may sign with contending club — ST. PETERSBURG — The Blue Jays have designated Matt Stairs for assignment and are working out a trade that could potentially send the veteran to a contending club.
Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Guzman hits for cycle — Shortstop accomplishes rare feat against Dodgers — WASHINGTON — Nationals shortstop Cristian Guzman hit for the cycle in an 11-2 victory over the Dodgers on Thursday night at Nationals Park. — Guzman is the second player in Nationals history to perform the feat.
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David Pinto / Baseball Musings:Duking It Out — Elijah Dukes hits two home runs tonight against the Dodgers.
Discussion:
Associated Press
Katie Strang / Newsday:
Hank has eyes on Sabathia, Burnett for offseason — A day after promising that the Yankees will be busy in the offseason addressing their needs, Hank Steinbrenner yesterday named two pitchers in whom the Yankees have interest. — “Everybody's looking at [CC] Sabathia and [A.J.] Burnett …
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Sam Mellinger / Kansas City Star:
Royals' Olivo expresses frustration with playing time, Hillman — Miguel Olivo is ticked. Not even the guy known in some circles as “Smiley” can ignore it any longer. — “It's only, what, (29) more games?” he said. “I'm going to do my best during that and that's it.”
Ken Davidoff / Newsday:
Cashman still believes in Yankees' youth movement — Their 3-2 walk-off victory over the Red Sox allowed a little euphoria and relief into the Yankees' clubhouse for a day, but no one should kid himself. There will be no sprint to the finish line for this team.
Discussion:
River Ave. Blues, Boston Herald, It is about the money, stupid and BBTF's Baseball Primer …
Marc Topkin / St. Petersburg Times:
MLB, umpire: Call against Aybar was wrong — ST. PETERSBURG — Upon further review, umpire Doug Eddings was wrong about the controversial obstruction call involving Willy Aybar in Sunday's game at Chicago. — Mike Port, MLB's vice president of umpiring, told the St. Petersburg Times …
Dejan Kovacevic / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Analysis: Alvarez case a personality clash? — Boras' history with Pirates, Coonelly set stage for mess — For all the ticking clocks, terse exchanges and now a full-blown drama between Major League Baseball and its players' union, it might be easy to lose sight of perhaps the most pivotal aspect of the Pirates' Pedro Alvarez saga:
Michael Schwartz / MLB.com:
Dodgers drop finale as Kershaw falters — Left-hander optioned to Triple-A after disheartening defeat — WASHINGTON — Dodgers manager Joe Torre has talked all week about needing one big hit to win one big game that could snap Los Angeles out of a funk that gets worse by the day.
