Top News:
Michael S. Schmidt / New York Times:
In Torre's Book, Rodriguez Comments Stand Out — Joe Torre's new book, “The Yankee Years,” includes predictable misgivings about the thousands of decisions he made in his 12 years as the team's manager and some surprising revelations that may make readers scratch their heads.
Discussion:
New York Post, Heartland Pinstripes, Bugs & Cranks, Sliding Into Home, bronxbanterblog.com and Bats
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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,” …
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 …
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.”
Joshua Robinson / Bats:
Torre's Book: Rodriguez to Pavano, and Plenty in Between — After a season on the West Coast, Joe Torre has put himself right back in the East Coast headlines. — In “The Yankee Years”, a book co-written with Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci, Torre sharply criticizes and recounts stories from his 12 years as manager of the Yankees.
Sports Illustrated:SI's Verducci: New book about Yankees, not just Joe Torre
Discussion:
New York Post, Fox Sports, Ken Davidoff's baseball …, Subway Squawkers, River Avenue Blues, Faceoff, bronxbanterblog.com, With Leather, Bronx Baseball Daily, YanksBlog.com, BASEBALL HOT CORNER, Watchdog, New Jersey Online, The Mighty Quinn Media Machine, The Mets Police, The Sporting Blog, SPORTSbyBROOKS, Bottom9 Baseball, WasWatching.com, Sliding Into Home, ESPN.com, Yahoo! Sports, New Stadium Insider, Yankees Blog, The Joy of Sox and Yankees Rumors
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.
Chico Harlan / Nationals Journal:
NatsFest, Over And Out — The DC Sports Bog is always worth a read — shameless self-promotion alert! — but that's especially true when it's filled with quotes from a particular team president and general manager. Some of these quotes are about George Steinbrenner and soiled pants.
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David Gassko / Hardball Times:
It's The Hardball Times Season Preview 2009 — Whether you're a fanatical fantasy player, or just want to see what's up with your favorite team, the THT Season Preview 2009 is just for you. — This annotated week in baseball history: Jan. 18-Jan. 24, 1972 — Posted Friday by Richard Barbieri
Anthony Rieber / Newsday:
Radomski says he took urine tests for Gooden — Convicted steroids dealer Kirk Radomski, the Long Island man who was one of the central witnesses in baseball's Mitchell Report, told ESPN's “Outside the Lines” Sunday that he twice took urine tests in place of Dwight Gooden when he was a clubhouse boy for the Mets.
Discussion:
24 Hours From Suicide
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.
Discussion:
Boston Herald, Over the Monster, MLB Rumors, Red Sox Monster, Projo Sox Blog, BBTF's Baseball Primer … and Main Board
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.
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com
Tim Dierkes / Fantasy Baseball:
Joba Chamberlain's 2009 Innings — Recently a reader pointed out a bold projection from Ron Shandler and company at Baseball HQ: 199 innings for Joba Chamberlain in 2009. Most forecasters agree that Joba's ERA, WHIP, and K/9 will be very strong in '09, but with that innings total you'd have to consider him a top five fantasy starter.
Steve Kelley / Seattle Times:
Former Met Aaron Heilman looks forward to new start with Mariners — Aaron Heilman has been the focus of all the anger and disappointment of Mets fans. He sometimes has been treated as if he were solely to blame for every September swoon. — No place in sports is quite like New York.
