Top News:
Bill Madden / NY Daily News:
Madden: Yanks need to ditch Alex the Grate — When the Yankees re-signed Alex Rodriguez in the fall of 2007, they envisioned the “clean” alternative to Barry Bonds - the knight in shining armor who would erase the stain of steroids from the all-time home run record, and they would bask in the glory of it with their brand.
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King Kaufman / Salon:
Last clean player, please bring the flag — One of these days, there's going to be a national throw-your-hands-up moment about steroids, when the prevailing point of view is going to become “Ah, hell, they were all doing it. Let's call off the witch hunts and get on with our lives.”
Mark Fainaru-Wada / ESPN:
Events that put A-Rod under scrutiny … SAN FRANCISCO — But for a combination of bad luck, bad timing and aggressive legal tactics by the Major League Baseball Players Association, alleged steroid use by Alex Rodriguez might never have been exposed. — The story that Rodriguez tested positive …
Discussion:
Hardball Times
Craig Calcaterra / Hardball Times:
Omnibus A-Rod Post — Obviously there was a lot of activity over the weekend, and while the blogosphere is often great at picking up and processing stuff quickly, it's not very good at perspective or organization. So, in the interests of perspective and organization …
New York Post:
REGGIE, SCHILLING: WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER 103? — ALEX Rodriguez is in the center of the steroid storm, but there are 103 other names on The List. — Should Rodriguez be the only one taking this massive hit? — Yankees legend and special adviser Reggie Jackson doesn't think so and …
Kobrien / On the Yankees beat:On Alex Rodriguez — It's always, always something with Alex Rodriguez.
Jayson Stark / ESPN:A-Rod has destroyed game's history
Discussion:
ESPN, Athletics Nation, Driveline Mechanics, Newsday, New York Post, NY Daily News, bronxbanterblog.com, Rivera's Cutter, Sports Illustrated, Can't Stop The Bleeding, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, THE BASEBALL SAVANT, Bugs & Cranks, The Yankee Universe, iYankees, Respect Jeter's Gangster and BBTF's Baseball Primer …
Phil Sheridan / Philly.com:
Ryan Howard's big deal — With or without the new contract he signed yesterday, Ryan Howard was going to be with the Phillies through 2011. Look at it that way and his big deal - $54 million over three years - doesn't seem like such a big deal, at least to Phillies fans.
Discussion:
Baseball Musings
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Tim Dierkes / MLB Rumors:
Rangers Have Crowded Outfield — By Tim Dierkes [February 9 at 9:53am CST] — Joel Sherman of the New York Post notes that the Rangers have six candidates for the outfield: Josh Hamilton, Andruw Jones, Nelson Cruz, David Murphy, Frank Catalanotto, and Marlon Byrd. Is a trade in order?
Discussion:
The Fowl Balls
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ESPN.com:
McNamee: I had to be truthful about Clemens — NEW YORK — Brian McNamee says he couldn't risk lying to federal agents when they asked him about Roger Clemens and performance-enhancing drugs. — McNamee, the pitcher's former trainer, appeared on “The Howard Stern Show” on Monday morning.
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports
Tangotiger / THE BOOK:
Measuring the immeasurable — Cliff Floyd: … Cliff Floyd seems be the opposite of Matt Bush. Where Matt Bush, first pick overall five years ago as a non-pitcher, converted to pitcher after a few years, and involved in off-field activities that led to suspensions, Cliff Floyd is all about heart, determination, and grit.
NY Daily News:
Steroid-tainted A-Rod gets his drink on in Bahamas as Yankees stay mum — What's the highest-paid baseball player in history to do when his legacy is on the rocks? — Party in a tropical paradise, of course. — Just hours after the steroid-tainted slugger earned his nickname A-Fraud …
Kevin Baxter / Los Angeles Times:
Baseball contracts can be off the wall — Former Dodgers pitcher Derek Lowe is greeted by Braves General Manager Frank Wren during the news conference to announce his signing at four years for $60 million. Part of the deal calls for Lowe to stay in suites when the team travels.
Discussion:
Hardball Times
Rich Lederer / Baseball Analysts:
Categorizing Starting Pitchers by Strikeout and Groundball Rates - 2008 Edition — Strikeout and groundball rates have become my favorite way to evaluate pitchers. While I also pay close attention to walk rates, I am most interested in whether pitchers can miss bats and keep batted balls in the park.
Tony Jackson / Inside the Dodgers:
Clarification on Andruw — Just found out that the Dodgers get HALF of whatever he makes with the Rangers. So, if he maxes out on his incentives and receive a total salary of $1.5 million from Texas in 2009, the Dodgers will get $750,000 of that, meaning they would owe him about $2.76 million instead …
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