Top News:
Anthony McCarron / NY Daily News:
Bombers sweep Sox, clinch AL East crown — The Yankees finally can christen their new home with Champagne after they clinched the American League East title and home field advantage in the playoffs Sunday afternoon against - of all teams - their bitter rivals, the Red Sox.
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Ian Browne / MLB.com:
Early lead gets away from Red Sox — Saito allows game-winning hit to countryman Matsui — NEW YORK — After winning their first eight head-to-head encounters with the Yankees this season for the first time since 1912, it seemed hard to imagine that the Red Sox wouldn't take the season series between the rivals.
Peter Abraham / The LoHud Yankees Blog:
Game 156: Red Sox at Yankees — YANKEES (99-56) — Pitching: LHP Andy Pettitte (13-7, 4.15). — RED SOX (91-63) — Ellsbury CF — Pedroia 2B — Bay LF — Youkilis 1B — Ortiz DH — Lowell 3B — Drew RF — Varitek C — Gonzalez SS — Pitching: RHP Paul Byrd (1-2, 6.04).
Barry M. Bloom / Boomskie on Baseball:
Don't the Dodgers need to sign Colletti long-term? The answer is Blowin' in the Wind — I'm usually loathe to start any bit of prose with a question. But with the Dodgers having clinched the playoffs for the third time in the last four years, is it not time for management to re-up Ned Colletti?
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John Perrotto / Baseball Prospectus:
On the Beat — Weekend Update — When Joe Torre began his managerial career 33 years ago, he did not believe in the old baseball adages about good pitching always beating good hitting, pitching winning championships, and pitching being 80 percent of the game. Torre believed hitting was equally as important as pitching.
Discussion:
Bottom9 Baseball
Henry Schulman / San Francisco Chronicle:
Uribe could be good fit for Giants' future — (09-27) 21:23 PDT San Francisco — There exists a player who sounds as though he wants to be a Giant next year. This year, he is hitting .299 in 378 at-bats. Project his numbers over 500 at-bats and he would have 20 homers and 70 RBIs.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
Jordan Bastian / MLB.com:
Purcey pitching into 2010 consideration — Southpaw could be in next year's rotation after strong finish — TORONTO — With what he has seen this year from his young pitchers, Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston does not feel that bolstering the rotation is a top priority for the coming winter.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
Canadian Press:
PIRATES RALLY LATE, PREVENT DODGERS FROM CLINCHING NL WEST — PITTSBURGH — Right-fielder Andre Ethier misplayed Lastings Milledge's two-run single for an error that allowed the winning run to score, and the Pittsburgh Pirates rallied for four in the ninth inning to beat the Dodgers 6-5 …
Sports Illustrated:
Rockies tip Cards … DENVER(AP) Clint Barmes had the wind knocked out of him and a big welt on his forehead. — A small price to pay for a game-saving catch in the middle of a tight playoff race. — Colorado's second baseman made a diving grab in shallow right field to start a game-ending double play …
Discussion:
Purple Row
Bob Dutton / Kansas City Star:
Royals notebook | Royals not interested in Bradley — Royals officials dismiss — in strong terms — reports of possible interest in acquiring outfielder Milton Bradley from the Cubs. “Idiots” was one of the nicer comments directed at those offering such speculation.
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Amy K. Nelson / ESPN:
Clause in Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell's contract might keep him from managing until 2011. — NEW YORK — John Farrell makes it clear he wants to some day manage. But Boston's pitching coach said that the focus right now should be on the team and not a recent report that said a clause …
Discussion:
Fire Brand of the …
Baseball Prospectus:
Kiss'Em Goodbye: San Diego Padres by Baseball Prospectus — Current record: 72-84, fourth place — Some of the young pitching does seem promising—so, hope, anyone? Bueller? Bueller? Frye? — Buster Olney of ESPN.com's Take — What went wrong: Nobody wants to get into soap opera stuff …
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
Ken Davidoff / Newsday:
Sunday reading: CC Sabathia, Derek Lowe and (blog) viewer mail — Off yesterday's Yankees game, I wrote about CC Sabathia, who has been pretty much perfect so far for the Yankees. — Remember that we spent much of last year discussing Sabathia's reluctance to come to New York.
