Top News:
Jesse Sanchez / MLB.com:
Mets sign outfielder Pena to Minors deal — Former Nats slugger will report to extended Spring Training — The Mets signed outfielder Wily Mo Pena to a Minor League contract and have assigned him to extended Spring Training, the New York Post reported Monday.
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David Lennon / On the Mets beat:
Mets sign Wily Mo Pena — Here's the latest from the Mets: — FLUSHING, N.Y., April 20, 2009 - The New York Mets today announced that they have signed outfielder Wily Mo Pena to a minor league contract. Pena will report to extended spring training in Port St. Lucie for a short …
Discussion:
Hot Foot
Matthew Cerrone / MetsBlog.com:
Mets sign Wily Mo Pena — The Mets have signed free-agent OF Wily Mo Pena to a minor-league deal. — Pena will report to Port St. Lucie for extended spring training, then join Triple-A Buffalo. — The 27-year-old Pena is hitting .253 in 560 career games, with 77 home runs and a .307 OBP.
Tony Massarotti / Boston Globe:
Lowrie surgery likely in next day — While addressing the media after the game, Red Sox manager Terry Francona revealed that Jed Lowrie is expected to have wrist surgery in the next day or so, a procedure that will keep the shortstop out for several weeks. — Francona indicated that if all goes …
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Joel Sherman / Hardball:
3 UP: YANKEE PROBLEMS AT THE 13-GAME MARK — In my column in today's Post, I wrote about how close the Yankees were to the humiliating weekend double of having allowed 22 runs on Saturday and then losing to Carl Pavano on Sunday. They never did do much against Pavano, who changed speeds …
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New York Post:
DOPEY METS WANNA ERASE DWIGHT'S CITI AUTOGRAPH — WHEN Dwight “Doc” Gooden attended the Mets' Opening Day ceremonies at Citi Field last week, he stopped by the Ebbets Club along the first-base line and mingled with fans who cheered him during his Met career. He shook hands, took pictures and signed autographs.
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com, Mets Today, Walkoff Walk, Subway Squawkers, MLB FanHouse, Hot Foot, Can't Stop The Bleeding and Mets Merized Online
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Peter Botte / NY Daily News:
Over signature scrub, Dwight Gooden wonders if Mets want him at Citi Field … Doc Gooden doesn't understand why the Mets are adamant about removing his signature from a wall inside one of the restaurants at their new stadium, and he wonders if the team doesn't want him to hang around Citi Field this season.
yankees.mlb.com:
Ballpark — Oakland Athletics at New York Yankees has been postponed. — Register to receive breaking news alerts and you'll find out first when the Yankees make major news announcements (a trade, big-name free agent signing, you name it). — POSTGAME ALERTS
Chico Harlan / Washington Post:
Zimmerman Agrees to Five-Year Deal — Until at least 2013, Ryan Zimmerman will be under contract with the Washington Nationals — the team that drafted him, and the team that has now affirmed his role in its future. Zimmerman and the Nationals have agreed to a five-year, $45 million deal, two industry sources said last night.
Discussion:
Nationals Journal, Fox Sports, baseballmusings.com, Jorge Says No!, NATIONALS NEWS NETWORK and Associated Press
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Joe Sheehan / Baseball Prospectus:
The End of the World — There's no minimizing it: Chien-Ming Wang has been absolutely crushed in his first three starts this season, a stretch that includes Saturday's four-out, eight-run throttling that kicked off the Yankees' 22-4 loss at the hands of the Indians.
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MLB.com:
Cards acquire reliever Blaine Boyer from Braves — Memphis (AAA) outfielder Brian Barton dealt to Atlanta — The St. Louis Cardinals made a move today to fortify their bullpen depth by acquiring right-handed reliever Blaine Boyer from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Memphis (AAA) outfielder Brian Barton.
Dejan Kovacevic / PBC Blog:
Pirates vs. Marlins, 4-20-09: Doumit out with wrist injury — Four hours to first pitch ... Game: Pirates vs. Florida Marlins, 7:05 p.m., PNC Park. — Pitching: RHP Ross Ohlendorf vs. LHP Andrew Miller. — First-pitch forecast: Rain, 50 degrees. Some doubts about this one.
Associated Press:
Attendance down 6.9 percent through two weeks … NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball's average attendance was 30,298 for its first 183 games over the opening two weeks of the season, a 6.9 percent drop from last year's final figure of 32,539. — The average declined from 31,111 in the opening week.
Discussion:
Baseball Daily Digest Blog
Ken Gurnick / MLB.com:
Ethier named NL Player of the Week — Outfielder's scorching bat paces perfect Dodgers — Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier on Monday was named National League Player of the Week presented by Bank of America for April 13-19. — Ethier, who led the league with 12 RBIs last week …
Discussion:
Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness
Jayson Stark / ESPN:
The good, the bad and the ugly — Marlins aren't going away any time soon, but Derrek Lee could be in the decline phase — We're two weeks into another wild and crazy baseball season. But who the heck knows what to believe and what not to believe. — So it's time once again …
Discussion:
My Summer Family
ESPN:
Power Rankings: Mighty Marlins move into No. 1 spot — ESPN.com — What could be more surprising than the Florida Marlins' surprise appearance in the No. 2 spot of last week's MLB Power Rankings? This week, when they are No. 1. — After two weeks of play, our panel of experts agrees …
Discussion:
FishStripes