Top News:
Paul Hoynes / Plain Dealer:
Cleveland Indians select Manny Acta (who turns down Astros) as new manager: ‘We will grow together’ … CLEVELAND, Ohio — Manny Acta was asked the question last week in Cleveland at the end of a seven-hour interview with GM Mark Shapiro and the rest of the Indians' front office.
Discussion:
Hardball Times, Associated Press, The Crawfish Boxes, MLB Rumors, Circling The Bases, MLB FanHouse and Federal Baseball
RELATED:
Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com:
Tribe tabs Acta to be new manager — Veteran becomes 40th skipper in franchise's history — NEW YORK — The Indians hoped to select and announce their new manager after the World Series. — Manny Acta sped up their timetable. — Acta was the first candidate the Indians brought …
Jose De Jesus Ortiz / Houston Chronicle:
Acta chooses Indians after Astros refuse to offer 3 years — Less than two weeks atfere declaring a potential return to the Astros as too good to be true, Manny Acta chose the Cleveland Indians after Houston refused to offer more than two guaranteed years. — Acta, who began …
Brian McTaggart / MLB.com:
Astros' search goes on without Acta — Houston GM Wade confirms offer to Tribe's new skipper — HOUSTON — Astros general manager Ed Wade confirmed on Sunday that the team made an offer to Manny Acta to be its next manager before he opted to fill the same position with Cleveland …
MLB:
Sources: Tony La Russa will return to St. Louis Cardinals in '10 — ST. LOUIS — Tony La Russa is returning to the St. Louis Cardinals as manager on a multiyear contract, sources told ESPN's Buster Olney, but there will be at least one change to his coaching staff.
RELATED:
Carrie Muskat / MLB.com:
McGwire could become next hitting coach — Report comes as La Russa ponders his future in St. Louis — Tony La Russa was expected to return as the Cardinals' skipper, but he could have a new hitting coach in slugger Mark McGwire. — According to ESPN.com's Buster Olney, La Russa has signed a multi-year contract to return.
Joe Strauss / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
TLR Back, McRae Out, Big Mac Appears In — The Cardinals will announce at a Monday morning press conference Tony La Russa's decision to return for a 15th season as manager. Today's run-up, however, features mounting evidence that La Russa's return after a 2-week deliberation will be dwarfed …
Joe Strauss / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:La Russa says he's close to decision on whether to return …
Discussion:
Circling The Bases
Bob Nightengale / USA Today:
Pennant affirms Pettitte's decision to return to Yankees — NEW YORK — New York Yankees starter Andy Pettitte, with champagne dripping off the ceiling and onto his cap, closed his eyes Sunday. — He remembers being so close to not returning to the Yankees in spring training.
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports
RELATED:
Michael Silverman / Boston Herald:
Red Sox' hot stove fired up early — + Recent Articles + Recent Blog Entries + Email the Author — Red Sox fans and their followers have had way too much on their hands this October. — With no American League Championship Series to attend to, the flame of the hot-stove league has been lit unseasonably early.
RELATED:
Maury Brown / The Biz of Baseball:
MLB ANALYST STEVE PHILLIPS FIRED BY ESPN — THIS IS BREAKING NEWS... UPDATE 1: Sources to The Biz of Baseball indicate that Phillips' agent Steve Lefkowitz has said that Phillips is voluntarily admitting himself to an inpatient treatment facility to address his personal issues.
NPB Tracker:
Kikuchi Stays Home — Kyodo News and reader Manzino beat me to it, but Yusei Kikuchi is staying in Japan. I'll have more later in the evening. — It's later in the evening, and here's more. — This news doesn't come as a surprise, as even though I had been reserving some skepticism …
RELATED:
Michael Silverman / Boston Herald:
Red Sox' hot stove fired up early — + Recent Articles + Recent Blog Entries + Email the Author — Who could that be? Top-flight center fielders are a lot harder to find than left fielders, although what happens in contract talks with Jason Bay (or potential alternatives) this offseason may or may not prove that out.
Steve Bisheff / Angels Unplugged:
Why he left Saunders in — You could almost hear all the Angels fans screaming at their television sets in the top of the fourth inning as Joe Saunders struggled in Game 6 of the ALCS. — “Get him out! . . . Why are you leaving him in?” — Well, there was a reason Manager Mike Scioscia left …
Discussion:
Angels blog
