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Jon Weisman / Dodger Thoughts:
Boras' rejection of Ramirez offer riles Dodgers — At 8:30 p.m. tonight, the Dodgers made the rather unusual move of issuing a statement that shows their exasperation with Manny Ramirez's agent, Scott Boras: … It's interesting to note that the Dodgers aim their venom at Boras, even though ostensibly Boras is working for Ramirez.
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ESPN.com:
Dodgers say Manny Ramirez turns down latest offer; agent says counterpropsal made … PHOENIX — Whether Manny Ramirez has rejected yet another offer from the Los Angeles Dodgers depends on whom you ask. — The Dodgers announced Thursday night the star outfielder's agent, Scott Boras …
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MLB
Dylan Hernandez / Los Angeles Times:
Source: Deferred payments key issue in Dodgers' offer to Manny Ramirez — The club's two-year, $45-million offer only included $10 million this year and $10 million in 2010 if the aging slugger picked up the player option. The other $25 million would be paid over the next three years.
MLB.com:
Boras rejects Dodgers' offer to Ramirez — LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers today received a letter from Scott Boras, the agent for Manny Ramirez, rejecting the offer that the club made yesterday. This rejection is the fourth by the agent in the club's attempts to sign Manny.
Andrew Baggarly / Extra Baggs:Giants exchange messages with Scott Boras re: Manny Ramirez
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MLB FanHouse
NY Daily News:
Yankees ban A-Rod's cousin from team facilities — TAMPA - Alex Rodriguez won't be getting any rides from Cousin Yuri anytime soon - at least not to the ballpark, anyway. — One day after A-Rod was chauffeured from Dunedin Stadium back to Tampa by his cousin Yuri Sucart …
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New Jersey Online, Pinstripe Alley, With Leather, Sliding Into Home, Hugging Harold Reynolds and Deadspin
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Tyler Kepner / New York Times:
Yanks' Posada Is at the Plate, Not Behind It — TAMPA, Fla. — The lineup card listed Jorge Posada as the designated hitter, the only position he will play until the third week of March. For Posada, that was just a technicality. Posada is a catcher, and that is how he prepared Thursday …
Chico Harlan / Nationals Journal:
“It Was Time To Cut That Cord” — Here's the story Barry and I double-teamed for Friday's fishwrap edition. — The Washington Nationals on Thursday abandoned the training facility they once boasted of here and officially fired José Rijo, the former face of their efforts in the Dominican Republic …
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Washington Post
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Chico Harlan / Nationals Journal:Kasten: “Mike Physically Led Our Team In There...”
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Washington Times, Fire Jim Bowden, Federal Baseball, NATIONALS NEWS NETWORK and The Nationals Enquirer
George Vecsey / New York Times:
The Incredible Shrinking Baseball Player — Baseball clubhouses seem to be getting bigger this spring, with more room to move around. Or maybe the players are becoming smaller. — Out of the roughly 1,000 major leaguers in spring training camps, a couple of dozen appear …
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Bats
Matthew Leach / MLB.com:
Cards to add two pitchers to camp — Injuries prompt action; team toys with idea of borrowing arms — FORT LAUDERDALE — A couple of inconvenient injuries have left the Cardinals in a tight spot for the first week or two of Spring Training. — Manager Tony La Russa reiterated on Thursday …
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Viva El Birdos
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Dan Shaughnessy / Boston Globe:
Baldelli's energy crisis — FORT MYERS, Fla. - He's dressing in Manny's locker, he's got Nomar's number, and he's enshrined in the Rhode Island Italian-American Hall of Fame, right there alongside Ernie DeGregorio. — Oh, and his name is Rocco. — How can he be anything but a fan favorite at Fenway Park?
Ronald Blum / Associated Press:
Yankees, Bank of America end sponsorship talks — NEW YORK — The New York Yankees and Bank of America ended months of negotiations on a long-term, high-profile sponsorship agreement, fallout from the financial industry's decision to accept aid from the federal government.
Tyler Kepner / Bats:
Believe It: A New Cap for Yankees — It's not every day that you see an e-mail message with the subject “New Yankees Cap.” The navy blue cap with the white interlocking “NY” is a classic. Why would it be changed? — Merchandising, of course. The Yankees plan to wear a sleeve patch …
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Steve Gilbert / MLB.com:
Haren, Davis focus on positives — Starters have different levels of success in Thursday outings — GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Both Dan Haren and Doug Davis took some positives out of their outings against the Indians on Thursday. — Only one of them, however, escaped with good numbers.
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AZ Snakepit
Yinka Adegoke / Reuters:
Newsday to charge for website, online cable service — NEW YORK (Reuters) - Cablevision Systems Corp plans to charge online readers of its Newsday newspaper, a move that would make it one of the first large U.S. papers to reverse a trend toward free Web readership.
Anthony McCarron / NY Daily News:
Davey thinks USA can go all the way — Davey Johnson stopped short of crooning the lyrics to “Crazy for You,” but the Team USA skipper made it clear Thursday that he would've liked to have Alex Rodriguez on his team for the World Baseball Classic, if for only one reason. — “I'm Madonna's fan,” Johnson quipped.
