Top News:
Maury Brown / The Biz of Baseball:
Inside The Numbers: 2008 MLB Attendance — The 2008 Major League Baseball regular season is the second highest attendance mark in history, drawing 78,624,324, falling just 1.14 percent below last year's record of 79,502,524 in paid attendance, a sign that baseball's popularity remains exceptionally strong.
Discussion:
Baseball Musings
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Paul Hagen / Philly.com:
Quick reminder to Phillies: It takes three wins — THIS IS AS CLOSE to a wide-open shot or a gimme putt as baseball offers. Up two games to none in a best-of-five series. It isn't perfect but, like old age, it sure beats the alternative. — It doesn't stink to be the Phillies right now.
Dylan Hernandez / Los Angeles Times:
Dodgers defeat Cubs, 10-3, at Wrigley (No) Field — The Dodgers' Chad Billingsley pitches Thursday night in Wrigley Field in the second game of a National League Division Series. Billingsley allowed one run in 6 2/3 innings in the Dodgers' 10-3 victory. — Chad Billingsley is dominant …
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Will Carroll / Unfiltered:
The Myth of Protection — Watching the Dodgers-Cubs game last night, one of the announcers discussed how much better Andre Ethier was hitting since Manny Ramirez came to the team. That's something we can test, so I asked Eric Seidman to take a look at this through the lens of Pitch F/X. His findings follow:
Discussion:
Hardball Times
Bob Klapisch / NorthJersey.com:
Yanks, Mets poised for CC bidding war — Brian Cashman and Omar Minaya have always considered themselves friends, despite competing in the same super-charged market. In fact, when Cashman was rumored to be considering a job with the Mariners, Minaya said to a friend, “tell Brian he can work here anytime.”
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Richard Sandomir / New York Times:
A Network to Satisfy the Appetite of Baseball-Hungry Fans — Major League Baseball does not believe there is enough baseball on television. — Not on local and regional TV. Not on Fox, ESPN, TBS or mlb.com. — It wants ubiquity, a 24/7 home, so it is building its own cable channel …
Discussion:
ShysterBall
David Lennon / Newsday:
Mets digging in heels in negotiations with Manuel — PHILADELPHIA - As much as the Mets would like Jerry Manuel to return as manager, they want him back on their terms, or not at all. — Removing the interim label from Manuel was supposed to be a slam dunk this week, with a Shea Stadium news conference expected any day.
Tim Dierkes / MLB Rumors:
Rosenthal's Latest: Vlad, Cano, Peavy, Hardy — By Tim Dierkes [October 3 at 8:23am CST] — Today we have a fresh column from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. — Vladimir Guerrero's $15MM option for '09 is a lock, but perhaps the Angels will reconsider extending him beyond that.
Discussion:
Kranepool Society
By Mike Danahey / Chicago Sun Times:
Is Fukudome a dirty word? — What's in a name? Ask Chicago Cubs fan Jill Howe, 15. — The Elgin High School sophomore had to remove her Kosuke Fukudome jersey and wear a gym T-shirt to class Wednesday because of a misunderstanding about how to pronounce the All-Star right-fielder's last name.
Chicagosports / RosenBlog:
When Vazquez starts, the winning stops — It's Thursday, and I have all the answers ... The White Sox had to beat three different teams in three days to get to the playoffs, and what happens after they pull off that major-league first? — The Sox have to play inside a pachinko machine …
Discussion:
Chicago Tribune
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Jason Beck / MLB.com:
Leyland's contract status unchanged — Tigers skipper to return in 2009 for final contracted season — Jim Leyland won't just be managing the Tigers for a rebound season and postseason berth next year. He will apparently be managing for another contract.
Discussion:
TigerBlog
Tim Dierkes / MLB Rumors:
Offseason Outlook: Arizona Diamondbacks — By Tim Dierkes [October 2 at 4:58pm CST] — The Diamondbacks are next in our Offseason Outlook series. Their setup for 2009: — C - Chris Snyder - $1.85MM+ — C - Miguel Montero - $401K — 1B - Chad Tracy - $4.75MM — 2B -
Discussion:
Al's Ramblings
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Bill Shaikin / Los Angeles Times:
Angels won't walk away with a victory — Despite facing Matsuzaka, who walks a lot of hitters, they don't plan to work the count in Game 2. — This could be the rare matchup that drives the purists and and the stat-heads nuts. Live from Anaheim: The team most likely to swing at a bad pitch …
Anthony McCarron / NY Daily News:
Derek Lowe on the Yankees? — CHICAGO - It's safe to say the Yankees were watching Wednesday night when the Dodgers' Derek Lowe turned in another superlative postseason performance in beating the Cubs in Game 1 of the NL division series. — Lowe is just the kind of pitcher the Yankees …
