Top News:
Bill Plunkett / Orange County Register:
Too much home advantage? — Angels notes. — Recommend — BOSTONA packed house of baseball's most rabid fans and the quirkiest playing field in the majors are intimidating home-field advantages for the Boston Red Sox. — But just who is intimidated by that environment is apparently open for debate.
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Jorge L. Ortiz / USA Today:
Red Sox rally for 7th straight win, beat L.A. in walk-off fashion — BOSTON — One after another, Boston Red Sox players acknowledged the obvious: This felt like a playoff game. — Every at-bat a battle. Every close call full of meaning. A tense crowd on its feet. And eventually, a Red Sox victory.
Ian Browne / MLB.com:
Third comeback the charm for Red Sox — Gonzalez helps Boston take win streak to seven — BOSTON — They were a strike away from defeat, and had already seen two comebacks go for naught. They were also decidedly short-handed, missing two star hitters — Kevin Youkilis and Victor Martinez — and also ace closer Jonathan Papelbon.
Adam Kilgore / Boston Globe:
Some things that happened tonight — How do you even begin to describe the improbability of the Red Sox' 9-8 walk-off win over the Los Angeles Angels? You start with the joy in the Red Sox clubhouse and the anger in the Angels'. Shortly after the Red Sox dogpiled in the middle of the diamond …
Discussion:
Fenway West, Walkoff Walk, Over the Monster, The Soxaholix, NESN.com and Providence Journal
Adam Rubin / New York Daily News Blogs:
Surfing The Mets — Omir Santos' tiebreaking pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning on Wednesday off lefthander Mike Gonzalez looked like it would lift the Mets to a victory. However, first baseman Daniel Murphy (right) misplayed two balls in the ninth inning, costing Francisco Rodriguez …
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Adam Rubin / NY Daily News:
Errors are costly in Mets' loss to Braves — ATLANTA - Ike Davis once hit off Goose Gossage before an Old-Timers' Day in the Bronx. Now, the son of former Yankees pitcher Ron Davis is closing in on playing in Flushing. — Davis has been tabbed as the Mets' Sterling Minor-League Player …
Discussion:
Mets Merized Online
Jason Beck / MLB.com:
Harwell says thanks to baseball friends — Fans, players show admiration for broadcaster in cheers — DETROIT — Ernie Harwell said thank you to thousands of his friends at Comerica Park on Wednesday night, and many more watching on television. Fans, players, baseball people, media and officials thanked him back with their cheers.
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Detroit Free Press:
Harwell to Tiger fans: Loyalty, love appreciated — The old photos and television clips on Comerica Park's video scoreboard appeared just as the top of the third inning ended: Ernie Harwell sitting in a booth, in front of a microphone, filling the airwaves with the mellifluous voice that raised a couple of generations of Tiger fans.
Mark Newman / MLB.com:
Phillies dad a hit with parents all over — Family receives gifts from team during appearance on ‘Today’ — Steve Monforto has been coming to Phillies games since he was three years old, and after all that time, he finally caught his first foul ball on Tuesday night.
Discussion:
bronxbanterblog.com
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MLB.com:
Tampa, Staten Island win championships — Affiliates take Florida State, New York-Penn League titles — Trent Lare ended the season in Tampa, nearly three months after starting it on Staten Island. He proved a good luck charm for both teams as the Yankees captured championships …
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Bryan Hoch / MLB.com:
Yankees hit the road for key trip — New York (94-53) at Seattle (75-71), 10:10 p.m. ET — NEW YORK — The Yankees zipped up their travel bags after completing their second-to-last homestand by celebrating their 14th walk-off victory of the season on Wednesday, joyously spilling …
Discussion:
iYankees
Bryan Hoch / MLB.com:
Yanks rally, walk off with win over Jays — Matsui's homer in eighth ties it, Cervelli's hit in ninth wins it — NEW YORK — A.J. Burnett could have started mixing his whipped cream cocktail the moment Hideki Matsui's game-tying home run cleared the fence, and he certainly should have been ready …
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Buster Olney / MLB:
Kansas City Royals close to signing top pick Aaron Crow, sources say — The Kansas City Royals are on the verge of an agreement with their No. 1 draft pick, pitcher Aaron Crow, for a major league deal that will pay him between $3 million and $4.5 million, sources said.
Associated Press:
Slumping Chipper Jones hints of retirement after 2010 — ATLANTA (AP) — A drop of almost 100 points from his 2008 NL-leading batting average has Chipper Jones (FSY) wondering if the end of his career is near. — Jones, 37, hit a career-best .364 last year, his third straight season over .320.
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports
Ken Davidoff / Newsday:
Should admitted cocaine users enter the Hall? — As a Hall of Fame voter, Midweek Insider has wrestled — greatly with the issue of illegal performance-enhancing drugs like steroids and human growth hormone. Should it be a disqualifying factor for candidates, even if no legitimate ban against these drugs existed at the time?
Discussion:
It's About The Money
Gordon Wittenmyer / Chicago Sun Times:
Cubs' Harden will miss next start in rotation — Cubs right-hander Rich Harden will not take his next turn in the starting rotation, but the team is denying an online report that he has been shut down for the rest of the season. — Pitching coach Larry Rothschild said he's not sure that Harden will miss even two starts.
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports
