Top News:
Michael S. Schmidt / New York Times:
Ortiz and Ramirez Said to Be on 2003 Doping List — Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz, the sluggers who propelled the Boston Red Sox to end an 86-year World Series championship drought and to capture another title three years later, were among the roughly 100 Major League Baseball players …
Discussion:
Boston Globe, Associated Press, It's About The Money, Hardball Times, Yahoo! Sports, Native Intelligence, Fack Youk, New York Times, Lady At The Bat, Zell's Pinstripe Blog, Baseball & The Boogie Down, Beyond the Box Score, Fire Brand of the …, Philly.com, Bugs & Cranks, Fox Sports, The House That Dewey Built, Can't Stop The Bleeding, bronxbanterblog.com, Projo Sox Blog, Pinstripe Alley, SawxBlog, New York Yankees Fan Blog, SPORTSbyBROOKS, Twinkie Town, sox1fan.com, SOX & Dawgs, NESN.com, Plain Dealer, The Fowl Balls, Oriole Magic, Deadspin, ESPN, Over the Monster, The Big Lead, The Mighty Quinn Media Machine, THE BOOK, Scott Proctor's Arm, Inside the Dodgers, Red Sox Monster, iYankees, YFSF and Keep Your Sox On
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ESPN.com:
Report: Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz tested positive for PEDs in 2003 — Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003, lawyers with knowledge of the results told The New York Times. — The two were key members of the Boston Red Sox World Series teams in 2004 and 2007.
Newsday:
Very quick hits: David Ortiz, Omar Minaya and some trade rumblings — Well, this isn't exactly a shocker, right? What are the ramifications? I don't know. Are there any at this point, really? I don't think Ortiz was a serious candidate to be in the Hall of Fame, anyway.
Discussion:
iYankees
Chad Finn / Boston Globe:
Report: Ortiz, Ramirez said to be on 2003 doping list
Report: Ortiz, Ramirez said to be on 2003 doping list
Discussion:
NY Super Blog
Fox Sports:
MLB trade deadline buzz: Thursday's edition — With the July 31 MLB non-waiver trade deadline fast approaching, FOXSports.com baseball reporters Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi have all the latest buzz. All times below are ET. — Rockies prepping for another move?
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Bob Elliott / Toronto Sun:
Looking less likely Jays will trade Doc — So if Roy Halladay isn't going to the Philadelphia Phillies, where is he headed? — “How about the Boston Red Sox?” said a disgruntled ex-Blue Jays scout yesterday afternoon. “Toronto could get Clay Buchholz, some prospects and ...
Projo Sox Blog:
Updated: Dodgers now front runners for Halladay — BOSTON _ Late Wednesday night there were two teams in the mix for Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay — the Sox and the Rangers. — Now it appears the Dodgers are in the lead for the right-handed ace. Talks with the Red Sox have calmed down — for now.
Discussion:
Detroit News, MLB Rumors, Bluebird Banter, MLB Daily Dish, Drunk Jays Fans and Redleg Nation
Sean McAdam / Boston Herald:
Red Sox talks go quiet — Source: No contact with Jays — As the non-waiver trade deadline inches closer, the Red Sox [team stats] options are becoming more clear, but last night they were no closer to pulling off the impact deal they were hoping to make.
Ken Davidoff / Newsday:
Yankees cool, but Red Sox desperate for trade — While the Yankees scan the — market for potential bargains, their rivals are looking to make a high-impact trade. — The Red Sox, who have fallen 31/2 games behind the Yankees in the American League East, have tried to revitalize …
Tony Massarotti / Boston Globe:
Analysis: How Halladay, Gonzalez, and Martinez would help the Red Sox
Analysis: How Halladay, Gonzalez, and Martinez would help the Red Sox
Nick Cafardo / Boston Globe:
Halladay, Martinez, or Gonzalez?
Halladay, Martinez, or Gonzalez?
Discussion:
sox1fan.com, Angels Unplugged, MLB Daily Dish, Bluebird Banter, MLB Rumors, The Big Lead, SOX & Dawgs and Gaslamp Ball
Associated Press:
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Matt Garza plunked Mark Teixeira on purpose — ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tampa Bay's Matt Garza hit New York Yankees slugger Mark Teixeira with a fifth-inning pitch Wednesday night, then said he did it because he's tired of opposing pitchers throwing at Rays All-Star Evan Longoria.
Discussion:
A Die Hard Yankees Fan, It's About The Money, NY Super Blog, Sliding Into Home, Bronx Baseball Daily and iYankees
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Mark Feinsand / NY Daily News:
Garza admits hitting Teixeira on purpose — ST. PETERSBURG - There were no warnings, no bench-clearing incidents and relatively little chatter between the Yankees and Rays Wednesday night, but Rays pitcher Matt Garza made it clear after the game that his fifth-inning pitch that hit Mark Teixeira was not an accident.
Discussion:
My Pinstripes
Associated Press:
Chamberlain throws eight scoreless innings as Yanks down Rays
Chamberlain throws eight scoreless innings as Yanks down Rays
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports
Jerry Crasnick / MLB:
Pirates All-Star Freddy Sanchez traded to the Giants for prospect Tim Alderson — The San Francisco Giants, taking another step to upgrade the National League's 15th ranked offense, acquired three-time All-Star Freddy Sanchez from Pittsburgh on Wednesday for pitching prospect Tim Alderson.
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Marc Hulet / FanGraphs Baseball:
Freddy Sanchez for... Who?! Seriously?
Freddy Sanchez for... Who?! Seriously?
Discussion:
FJB, Oleanders and Morning Glories, Walkoff Walk, Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness, MLB Daily Dish and True Blue LA
Steve Kornacki / MLive.com:
DETROIT TIGERS BASEBALL — Yankees interested in Josh Anderson trade with Tigers — ARLINGTON, Texas — Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland confirmed today that the New York Yankees have interest in outfielder Josh Anderson, whom Detroit has 10 days since Friday to assign to another team via trade …
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports, Bless You Boys, The Knobler Blog, Trade Talk, Yankees N More, iYankees and Sliding Into Home
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Joel Sherman / Hardball:
3 UP: WANG, JOBA AND PATTERSON — Yes, I am on Twitter. — 1. There were a lot of things that Chien-Ming Wang was not such as effective in the postseason or the kind of strikeout artist who engenders awe or healthy for the past year. Because of that his loss for the rest of the year has not caused much of a stir.
Discussion:
River Avenue Blues, MLB Rumors, The Fowl Balls, The Yankee Universe, Sliding Into Home and MetsBlog.com
Marty Noble / MLB.com:
Beltran eyes return within 2 1/2 weeks — Center fielder says injured right knee responding well — NEW YORK — Imagine the Mets about to confront the Braves at Citi Field next month and beginning an extended sequence of games against opponents with legitimate postseason aspirations …
RELATED:
Peter Botte / NY Daily News:
Carlos Beltran's return to mets still 2-to-3 weeks away
Carlos Beltran's return to mets still 2-to-3 weeks away
Discussion:
24 Hours From Suicide
Joel Sherman / Hardball:
THE YANKS AND WASHBURN — Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik sounds like an executive stuck in the middle. His brain tells him that his club is just not good enough to make the playoffs this year while his heart keeps creating scenarios in which somehow they sneak in.
Joe Capozzi / Florida Marlins news, analysis …:
Marlins like Heath Bell — Leo Nunez continues to rack up saves, Matt Lindstrom could return this weekend, yet the Marlins have been in talks with the San Diego Padres for closer Heath Bell, according to multiple reports. — One high-ranking team official told me last night the Marlins …
Gordon Wittenmyer / Chicago Sun Times:
Cubs in search of lefty bat who can play right — The Cubs don't want switch hitter Milton Bradley to give up batting left-handed as an answer to his seasonlong problems from that side of the plate. But sources said one possibility being discussed is limiting him to a platoon role …