Top News:
Kat O'Brien / Newsday:
Pudge, Hunter fight in Yankees loss to Angels — ANAHEIM, Calif. - One veteran Yankee wondered aloud before Monday's game against the Angels if players had given up on the season. — But at least one player showed some fight - literally - in the Yankees' lopsided 12-1 loss to the Angels at Angel Stadium in Anaheim last night.
Discussion:
Ken Davidoff's baseball …
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Kobrien / On the Yankees beat:
Given up? — With a West coast night game, the only way we will make any editions of the newspaper with game stories is if it's a quick game, and even then the story's got to be sent by the time the game ends. Typically I send the bulk of the story in maybe the eighth inning with a quick topper at the end.
John Romano / St. Petersburg Times:
Rays have lost fighting spirit — BOSTON — Understand, there is no shame in being caught from behind by the Red Sox. — Boston has the bigger payroll and the greater pedigree, and most of the world has probably assumed the defending World Series champions would eventually end up on top of the American League East.
Discussion:
TBO Devil Rays, The Joy of Sox, Rays Index, SOX & Dawgs, SportsJustice and It is about the money, stupid
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Bill Chastain / MLB.com:
Rays see lead in AL East dwindle — Offense shut down at Fenway against dominant pitching — BOSTON — Monday night's game had a familiar theme when the Rays took yet another loss at Fenway Park. — The Red Sox took the game, 3-0, in front of a sellout crowd of 37,662 …
Derrick Goold / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Pujols considering elbow surgery — Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols, riding what he calls his best wave of offense in a couple of years, raised the specter of his elbow injury Monday, saying in a televised interview that he's considering offseason surgery.
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Matthew Leach / MLB.com:
Pujols leaning toward elbow surgery — Slugger dealing with ligament tear since 2003 — ST. LOUIS — Slugger Albert Pujols told a local television station on Monday that he may be leaning toward undergoing Tommy John ligament-replacement surgery on his right elbow after the season ends.
David Lennon / Newsday:
Wagner needs season-ending elbow surgery — When Billy Wagner abruptly cut short Sunday's simulated game, there was a sense that his comeback attempt was effectively over. But now it appears that Wagner's career also is in jeopardy after learning that he needs season-ending elbow surgery …
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Maury Brown / The Biz of Baseball:
At Current Pace, MLB Will Not Have Fifth Consecutive Attendance Record — Major League Baseball has enjoyed four straight seasons of record paid attendance, but at the current pace, the league will be coming in just below last year's record figure. — As of Saturday, Sept. 6 …
Nicole Bode / NY Daily News:
Mets relief pitcher Ambiorix Burgos arrested for beating up girlfriend — Mets minor league reliever Ambiorix Burgos has been charged with pummeling his girlfriend at a hotel near Shea Stadium, authorities said. — The 6'3", 244-pound pitcher was arrested around 11 p.m. Monday …
Jay Busbee / Atlanta Magazine:
Smoltz airs the possibility he'll play elsewhere in 2009 — In interviews, it's always the question you toss off that gets you the most interesting responses. Over the weekend, I was wrapping up an interview with John Smoltz for the upcoming Braves book (The Quiet Dynasty, on sale spring 2009.
Associated Press:
Giants' Lincecum pitches another gem to sink struggling D'backs — SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Tim Lincecum struck out nine, Bengie Molina hit a three-run homer and San Francisco sent the slumping Arizona Diamondbacks to their fourth straight defeat with a 6-2 victory Monday night.
Tom Curran / NBCSports.com: NFL:
Brady says Pats not out: ‘I still like our chances’ — New England QB out for season, but teammates scoff at idea of no playoffs — FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The e-mail popped in at 5 p.m. — “It will all be OK. I'm excited to see what our team is made of ... I still like our chances,” wrote Tom Brady.
NY Daily News:
New home run apple at core of Mets' new ballpark — It looks like it will be a fresh apple rising after the Mets belt home runs at Citi Field. — The Mets had hoped to keep their intentions quiet for now about whether they would transfer the apple from Shea to their new stadium or commission a new one.
Jason Beck / MLB.com:
Sheffield hits Majors' 250,000th homer — Milestone dinger a grand slam against Athletics' Gonzalez — DETROIT — Gary Sheffield still needs a few home runs to get to his career milestone. In getting closer on Monday, however, his two-homer game reached a Major League mark that has been 133 years in the making.
Kevin Horan / MLB.com:
Phils prevail, trim Mets' NL East lead — Offense gives Blanton needed lift; Philly 1 1/2 games back — PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies' bats bailed out pitcher Joe Blanton after a rocky start, lifting Philadelphia to an 8-6 win over the Marlins on Monday night.
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Joe Sheehan / Unfiltered:
Lee vs. Halladay — This is primarily supposed to be a data dump without advocating a position. I just want to at least put this out there to see if it becomes part of the discussion. Two weeks ago, I wrote that Cliff Lee would not only be my choice for AL Cy Young, but also for AL MVP.
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Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com:
Hoffman wants to return to Padres — Closer feels positive after Saturday meeting with GM Towers — SAN DIEGO — In case there was any uncertainty about the matter, Trevor Hoffman said on Monday night that he wants to return to the Padres next season and perhaps for a few more seasons after that.
