Top News:
Nick Piecoro / Arizona Republic:
Hinch expected to replace Melvin — SAN DIEGO - Off to an uneven start to a season that was brimming with expectations, the Diamondbacks fired manager Bob Melvin on Thursday night. — Melvin was given the news Thursday night after the team returned from its road trip in San Diego …
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Steve Gilbert / MLB.com:
D-backs to replace Melvin with Hinch — Club dismisses skipper, coach after 12-17 start — SAN DIEGO — The D-backs will name farm director A.J. Hinch as the team's manager Friday, a baseball source said. — Hinch, who has no prior managerial experience, will replace Bob Melvin, who was dismissed Thursday night.
Bill Plaschke / Los Angeles Times:
Next notice for Manny Ramirez should be an eviction — The slugger is a selfish player who can no longer be trusted. — The best and brightest neighborhood in the Los Angeles sports landscape is a very different place today. — Mannywood has officially gone to hell. — The giddy streets are lined in shadows.
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Craig Calcaterra / Associated Press:
Manny's suspension: less crisis than opportunity — Come and step into my time machine for a moment. I want to show you something. … I can see that, can't you? As the news of Manny Ramirez's suspension was breaking yesterday morning, the Dodgers were sitting pretty with a six-and-a-half …
Michael Hiltzik / Los Angeles Times:
Baseball's anti-doping program faces renewed scrutiny in light of Ramirez case — Some officials say the Dodger slugger's suspension shows that Major League Baseball is serious about stamping out doping. For others, it is a reminder that the program has a long way to go.
Discussion:
BBTF's Baseball Primer …
Bob Nightengale / USA Today:Manny is latest star to fall under drug cloud; banned 50 games
Discussion:
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Mark Feeney / Boston Globe:
Former Red Sox star Dom DiMaggio dies at 92 — Dominic DiMaggio (left) and older brother Joe posed for a photo in April 1940. — Dom DiMaggio, who despite having to share an outfield with Ted Williams and a name with his older brother Joe became a diamond standout in his own right …
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Mark Pratt / Baltimore Sun:
Dom DiMaggio dies at 92 — BOSTON - Dominic DiMaggio, the bespectacled Boston Red Sox center fielder who was overshadowed by his older brother Joe's Hall of Fame career, died early Friday at his Massachusetts home. He was 92. — DiMaggio was surrounded by his family at his death, according to his wife, Emily.
John Amato / Pinstripe Alley:
Now Girardi tells us Mariano's shoulder has been bothering him — In the post game show tonight on YES, Joe Girardi admitted that Mariano Rivera's surgically repaired shoulder has been bothering him for a while now. He said it wasn't a major issue, but that it just seems to be a little tired which is affecting his velocity.
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Tyler Kepner / New York Times:
Rare Collapse by Rivera Sends Yankees to Fifth Straight Loss — When the greatest savior in franchise history crumbled at the end a dismal homestand on Thursday, it was the nadir of the Yankees' rocky season. At least, that is how it would seem. Things can only improve — can't they? …
Associated Press:
A-Rod will return to Yankees Friday — Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez will make his return to the lineup Friday in Baltimore. (AP Photo) — Alex Rodriguez will return to the New York Yankees for their game Friday in Baltimore. — The team announced that Rodriguez would rejoin …
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MLB:New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez plays in what could …
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Peter Abraham / The LoHud Yankees Blog:Game 28: Rays at Yankees (updates with A-Rod news: He'll be back tomorrow)
Discussion:
MLB.com, The Voice of Yankees Universe, Sliding Into Home, New York Post and NY Daily News
David Lennon / Newsday:
Murphy's future with Mets could be in infield — What if the Mets did sign Manny Ramirez this winter? For starters, they would be preparing for life without Manny right around now, and presumably calling up Daniel Murphy from Triple-A Buffalo to take his place.
Bill Simmons / ESPN:
Confronting my worst nightmare — Boston's 2004 title was a defining moment in the lives of many New Englanders. — Dateline: May 7, 2014 — My son and I have flown from California to spend the week in Boston. He is a little more than 6½ at this point. He has never set foot in Fenway Park.
Discussion:
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Associated Press:
Mets jump Moyer, Phillies early to get two-game sweep — NEW YORK (AP) — Carlos Beltran and David Wright each hit a two-run homer in the first inning, and the New York Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-5 on Thursday night for their fourth consecutive victory.
Peter Abraham / The LoHud Yankees Blog:
Catch as catch can — Since people are asking ... Jose Molina (left quad) appears headed for the DL based on what Joe Girardi said tonight. — Unless Brian Cashman can make an overnight trade, Kevin Cash and Chris Stewart are the catchers at Triple-A Scranton. I would think one of them will be summoned.
