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Paul Simon / New York Times:
Yankee Stadium, Going the Way of Joe DiMaggio — I was sitting on my father's lap listening to a Yankee game on our old Philco radio. It was 1948 and I suddenly realized I was a Yankee fan. The team was headed for a dismal third-place finish. I was 7, and there was nothing to do but wait …
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XM MLB Chat
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Maury Brown / The Biz of Baseball:
Turn Out The Lights: Yankee Stadium Final Game Coverage by ESPN & MLB.com — This coming Sunday will mark the final game at Yankee Stadium, thus marking an end to baseball's greatest cathedral. On that day, the media will be swarming with stories about The House That Ruth Built, and ESPN and MLB.com are no exception.
Discussion:
The Sommer Frieze
Ken Mandel / MLB.com:
Phils drop to second with loss to Fish — Righty gives up 10 runs in four-plus innings; Howard rips 46th — MIAMI — Brett Myers used to have days like these, not that he'd care to remember. — They seemingly happened often from March 31-June 27, while compiling a 5.84 ERA that necessitated a head-clearing trip to the Minors.
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Phillies Nation
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Anthony DiComo / MLB.com:
Rookies come up big as Mets take first — Evans and Murphy play primary roles, Amazin's lead division — ATLANTA — Given Daniel Murphy's rather torrid bat, and given the critical nature of this and every game, Mets manager Jerry Manuel wrestled Friday afternoon with the idea of starting Murphy in left field.
Associated Press:
Baseball's instant replay produces first reversal — ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Baseball's instant replay system produced its first reversal Friday night when Tampa Bay's Carlos Pena had a two-run double changed to a three-run homer during the fourth inning against Minnesota.
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Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com:
Historic call helps Rays pound Twins — Tampa Bay one game away from clinching first playoff berth — ST. PETERSBURG — Throughout their improbable run, the Rays have talked all season long about taking it one game at a time. — Now, after Friday night's 11-1 win over Minnesota, one game is all they need.
Associated Press:
Carmona, Sheffield ejected after brawl — CLEVELAND (AP)—Gary Sheffield was still plenty angry—though much more in control after the Detroit Tigers endured a ninth-inning loss. — Sheffield was one of two players from both teams ejected during a seventh-inning brawl before Jamey Carroll hit …
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Jim Caple / ESPN:
America's 100 most important sports venues — 2. Camden Yards … Location: Baltimore. Opened: 1992. Capacity: 48,876. — Because it started the entire retro-stadium craze and the tsunami of taxpayer-funded facilities that dramatically changed revenues and altered the sports landscape.
Scott Merkin / MLB.com:
Alexei's slam gives Sox 2 1/2-game lead — Youngster ties a rookie record with third bases-clearing shot — KANSAS CITY — Results from the 9-4 pasting administered by the White Sox upon the Royals on Friday night at Kauffman Stadium prove a couple of facts about this AL Central Division leader to be true.
Anthony DiComo / MLB.com:
Mets win coin toss over Brewers — One-game playoff to determine Wild Card would be at Shea — ATLANTA — The Mets won a coin flip against the Brewers on Friday afternoon, to determine home-field advantage for a potential one-game playoff between the two teams.
Discussion:
Baseball Musings, It's Mets For Me, Yahoo! Sports, ShysterBall and 24 Hours From Suicide
Ken Gurnick / MLB.com:
Dodgers inch closer to title despite loss — Maddux roughed up, but magic number drops to six — LOS ANGELES — Bengie Molina homered and drove in four runs Friday night and Barry Zito outpitched Greg Maddux in the Giants' 7-1 win over the Dodgers, whose magic number was reduced to six anyway with Arizona's loss to the Rockies.
Carrie Muskat / MLB.com:
Zambrano roughed up in Cubs' loss — Coming off no-hitter, right-hander knocked out in second — CHICAGO — Johnny Vander Meer's record is safe. There was no repeat no-hitter for Carlos Zambrano on Friday. There was no whiff of champagne for the Cubs either.
Robert Macleod / Globe and Mail:
Marcum to learn injury fate — The Toronto Blue Jays are expecting their worst fears will be realized today when it is confirmed that starting pitcher Shaun Marcum needs to have Tommy John ligament replacement surgery to his right elbow. — Marcum has been sent to Birmingham, Ala. …
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