Top News:
Bryan Hoch / MLB.com:
Yanks prevail as Stadium goes dark — Rivera secures Pettitte's victory in historic venue's final game — NEW YORK — Eighty-five years of memorable moments and indelible baseball achievements at Yankee Stadium were book-ended by Babe Ruth's home run to christen the building and Mariano Rivera's final pitch to close it.
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Peter Abraham / The LoHud Yankees Blog:
Game 156: Orioles at Yankees (with audio) — ORIOLES (67-86) — Chris Waters (3-3, 4.75) has never faced any of the New York hitters. — Andy Pettitte (13-14, 4.57) vs. the Baltimore hitters. — Notes: The Yankees are 4,132-2,430 at Yankee Stadium. There have been 17 ties.
New York Times:
Night of Reflection for Sons of Two Yankee Greats — Hours before they ran onto the field to represent their fathers and pay tribute to Yankee Stadium on Sunday night, David Mantle and Billy Martin Jr. paid homage to two Yankees greats. Mantle and Martin, along with their families …
Discussion:
ShysterBall
Bryan Hoch / MLB.com:
One last Sunday at the ballpark — Fans, players paint final scene before bidding Stadium farewell — NEW YORK — They arrived early on a cloudless Sunday afternoon, lining 161st Street armed with cameras. It was a perfect opportunity: With one slight movement, you could point to the present …
Dejan Kovacevic / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Pirates, Alvarez agree to revised contract — Deal is pending physical, could quash MLB union's grievance — In a stunning reversal of a summer-long drama, the Pirates and top draft pick Pedro Alvarez last night agreed to terms on a revised four-year, major league contract worth a guaranteed $6,355,000 …
Joe Sheehan / Baseball Prospectus:
No Fish Story in Tampa Bay — In their 11th season of play, after a decade of never winning 71 games, of never finishing above .500, and never coming close to contention in any year, the Tampa Bay Rays clinched a playoff spot yesterday with a 7-2 win over the Twins.
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John Perrotto / Baseball Prospectus:
Every Given Sunday — Winding Down — A few months ago, it appeared that there would be wholesale changes made among major league general managers in the offseason, but now that no longer seems to be such a certainty. One team that will definitely have a new GM in 2009 is the Phillies …
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
Pat Graham / Associated Press:
Young's 4 RBIs power Diamondbacks to win — DENVER (AP)—Around this time last September, the Arizona Diamondbacks were celebrating an NL West title in Colorado. Things are quite a bit different this season, with the Diamondbacks being on the other side of the chase.
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John Nadel / Associated Press:Dodgers' loss cuts NL West lead to 2 1-2
Discussion:
Baseball Musings
Vegas Watch:
Evaluating April MLB Predictions (2008) — We did this last year, in a couple parts. It quickly became obvious that the computer projections are much more accurate than those of ESPN's analysts; not at all surprising, considering the various methods used.
Joe Cowley / Chicago Sun Times:
Guillen challenges Vazquez: Go out and kick Twins' butts — WHITE SOX IN BRIEF — KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Considering what's at stake for the White Sox this week, why not throw down the gauntlet? — Manager Ozzie Guillen has done it before — too many times to count — so why change now?
Discussion:
MLB.com
Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com:
Maddon's dream becomes a reality — Skipper leads Tampa Bay to an unlikely playoff berth — ST. PETERSBURG — Steering a ship that had gone a Major League-worst 66-96 in 2007, it would have been easy for Rays manager Joe Maddon to set sights on a .500 season.
Discussion:
Outs Per Swing
Michael S. Schmidt / New York Times:
Souvenirs Are Costly for Players and Fans — The Yankees are known for giving their players more perks than any other franchise in baseball. But when it came to souvenirs from the final game at the Stadium, the players were actually being treated just about the same as the team's fans.
Discussion:
ShysterBall
Associated Press:
Danks, Two Relievers Four-Hit Royals — KANSAS CITY, Mo. — John Danks and two relievers combined on a four-hitter and Paul Konerko hit a two-run homer as the AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 3-0 on Sunday. — The victory enabled the White Sox to remain 2 1/2 games …
