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NY Daily News:
Torre tries to make peace with Cash — Joe Torre is telling the story of his contentious Yankee breakup in a book, but Sunday he wanted Brian Cashman to hear it firsthand. — One day after reports surfaced that Torre takes shots at the Yankee GM in his memoir “The Yankee Years,” …
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Michiko Kakutani / New York Times:
Insider's View of What Went Wrong in the Bronx — The hallmark of the Yankees who won World Series championships in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000 was gritty team play: they weren't famous for a roster of flashy superstars or power hitters; rather, they were a resolute band of brothers …
Sports Illustrated:
SI's Verducci: New book about Yankees, not just Joe Torre … SI.com: Two New York newspapers are reporting that Joe Torre rips Alex Rodriguez and George Steinbrenner in the book, and that Brian Cashman was not as supportive of Torre returning as Yankees manager after the 2007 season as was previously believed.
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New York Post:
'A'-TEAM BLASTS TORRE — ANTI-ALEX TELL-ALL AN ‘ACT OF DESPERATION’ — Insiders close to Yankee superstar Alex Rodriguez blasted Joe Torre yesterday, saying a new book by the former Bomber manager that characterizes A-Rod as an emotionally needy prima donna is “unequivocally not true” and “one final act of desperation.”
ESPN.com:
Reports: Torre book reveals bitter Yankees rifts — Joe Torre didn't need “incentives” to lead the New York Yankees, so he left. — Torre's incentives to expose the salacious side of his former team is another story. — According to two newspaper reports, Torre blasts the team he managed …
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Derek Carty / Hardball Times:
What's the best BABIP estimator? — BABIP is a stat that lots of people like to throw around but many don't fully understand (even some who profess to be statistically inclined). — Background info — BABIP stands for Batting Average on Balls in Play. It measures the rate at which balls in play fall in for hits.
Rob Bradford / WEEI Blogs:
Deadline for Varitek — WEEI.com has learned from a source close to the negotiations that the two-year offer made by the Red Sox to catcher Jason Varitek is for $5 million for the first year, along with a club option for $5 million or a $3 million player option for season No. 2 of the deal.
Mike Silva / Mike Silva's NY Baseball Digest:
Dr. Mike Marshall on Rick Peterson's “Pitching Perspective” — Last night on NYBD Radio, we had Gary Armida of Full Count Pitch talking about his interview with Rick Peterson. The former Mets pitching coach discussed his “pitching perspective” with the readers.
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MetsBlog.com
Steve Gilbert / MLB.com:
Casey plans to retire, join MLB Network — ‘The Mayor’ hit .302 in 12 seasons with five different clubs — Red Sox first baseman Sean Casey is officially retiring, according to a report by WEEI.com in Boston. — The report said Casey, nicknamed “The Mayor” for his friendly personality …
Lynn Henning / Detroit News:
Leaning left: Tigers address last season's defensive holes — There was the occasional inning during 2008 that seemed never to end when the Tigers were on defense. — A groundball hit toward the hole between third base and shortstop often rolled into left field.
Mark Gonzales / Chicago Tribune:
Sox pitching coach Don Cooper confident in staff — After watching Gavin Floyd and John Danks combine for 29 victories last season despite limited experience, pitching coach Don Cooper sounded off Sunday on skeptics who are questioning the back end of the White Sox's 2009 rotation.
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Chicago Tribune
Mychael Urban / MLB.com:
A's close to deal with Springer — Oakland, veteran right-hander reportedly nearing one-year contract — OAKLAND — Three days after A's manager Bob Geren said there could be as many as five openings in his bullpen when Spring Training starts next month, a Major League source …
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MVN
Jeff Schultz / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Braves prospect Schafer denies using HGH — If Jordan Schafer was concerned that his reputation in baseball would forever be tarnished by last year's 50-game suspension for using human growth hormone, the cleansing process probably started Saturday. — Schafer, the Braves' top prospect …
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