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.
RELATED:
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 …
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.
Jay / Let's Go Tribe!::
Cesspool scheduled for demolition — So, you may have heard, they just finished playing the last game ever at Yankee Stadium — once the home to the greatest organization in sports, a symbol of American excellence. Back then, there was nothing preening about calling it The House That Ruth Built …
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 …
Discussion:
ESPN, MLB Rumors, Walkoff Walk, ShysterBall, Bucs Dugout, Where have you gone … and Pittsburgh Lumber Co.
Jeff Passan / Yahoo! Sports:
Playoff Pulse: Another Mets meltdown watch — To start anywhere else would be irresponsible, because the panic is back in New York. There are close to a dozen great story lines to fill the final week of the season, and they'll get their due after considering the possibility of New York Mets Meltdown, Version 2.0.
RELATED:
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.
Discussion:
Hardball Times
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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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?
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
